Mirror Images
by TouchofPixieDust
Summary: AU Kagome and Kikyo are two young women unhappy with their lives. One wish turns their lives inside out. Will they ever be able to set things right?
1. The Girl in the Mirror

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter One: The Girl in the Mirror

September 21st

_C'mon girl… you're smarter than this_. Kagome scolded herself as she tapped her pencil against the textbook. The algebraic equations refused to make sense. In fact, if the teen didn't know any better, she would think that the numbers and letters were mocking her… rearranging themselves when she blinked so that nothing would make any sense.

"I bet you don't have these problems," Kagome said as she glared at the girl across from her. The girl glared back at her. "I bet you spend all day doing fun things, adventurous things. I bet you don't spend one second of your day thinking about stupid homework."

With a sigh she dropped her pencil to the desk and folded her hands, resting her chin on them. A small smile appeared on the other girl's face. They smiled at each other.

Kagome stared at the girl in the mirror. She wondered what kind of life she led. Was she plagued by endless piles of homework? Did she have a life filled with romance and adventure? Her reflection didn't answer any of the girl's questions. She only continued to stare back at Kagome with the same sad dark grey eyes.

With another, and slightly louder, sigh Kagome turned her attention back to her algebra homework.

I gotta stop letting my imagination run wild… one of these days I'll end up believing in these fantasies… kinda hard to get math done from a padded room, she told herself sternly and she attempted to focus.

Half an hour passes, and the algebra equations were no closer to magically come up with answers than they were before. In fact, every single one of her homework assignments were still in her To Do pile. Only one slip of paper was in her Finished section…and that hardly counted since it was a signed permission slip for the museum tour the next day.

"I can't concentrate!" she groans as she begins to slowly bang her head against the books on her desk. "I can do this though…. I know I can. Math is my best subject!"

She lays her head across her arms and looks sideways to the mirror. "Why can't I concentrate?" she asked the equally miserable girl in the mirror.

A nervous fluttering in her stomach caused Kagome to hop up from her chair and pace the room like a caged tiger. _Why am I so nervous?_ There was something in the air that felt different. She sensed something exciting… something scary… but she couldn't put her finger on it. And it made no sense. After all… today was just the same as any other day. _Ok… so maybe I'm a little more distracted today than usual… but that's it._

Kagome gave a little laugh than sat back down at her desk. She shoved the math book to the side and pulled out her Composition folder. With a grin she opened it up.

"Write a thousand word short story, subject of your choice," she read aloud. "Now this I can handle."

Writing stories has always been Kagome's passion. She wrote down her dreams, her fears, and her fantasies. Of course, she would change the characters names and ages, but each of her heroines of her stories was always Kagome.

Grabbing her laptop she hopped onto her bed, piling pillows in front of her to act as a makeshift desk. Without a moments hesitation her fingers flew across the keyboard. The story poured out, her fingers barely able to keep up. She wrote about the girl in mirror and the life she led on the other side of the mirror. She wrote about the girl who had her face, but lived a more exciting and adventurous life. Kagome tried to give the girl many names… but none of them seemed to suit her. In the end, the girl in the story remained nameless.

By the time she reached eight hundred words she realized that she had too much left to tell, so she spent the next two hundred words building the story to an exciting peak, and then leaving it with a "to be continued" type of ending.

With a yawn Kagome plugged the USB cord into the laptop and printed out her story. Her eyes could barely stay open, and she swore to herself that she could get math done between classes. _Thank heavens that class is after lunch, or I'd be facing an F._


	2. Unwanted Declarations of Love

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Two: Unwanted Declarations of Love

September 22nd

There is a phrase about best laid plans going to Heck in a hand basket, if Kagome hadn't been fifteen minutes late getting up (Thanks a LOT for turning off the alarm clock, Souta, you brat!) she probably would have been able to correctly quote that particular phrase instead of chanting swear words as she raced getting dressed.

After clunking her little brother on the head with her backpack, Kagome shoved a piece of toast in her mouth and ran out the door. As she ran she clumsily braided her hair and tied it, rather lopsidedly, with a green ribbon that almost matched her school uniform. _One of these days,_ she promised herself, _I'll actually get up in time to sit down and have breakfast._

Her feet pounded against the pavement and her lungs began to burn. _Man, I'm soooo out of shape. Maybe I should quit skipping gym… I mean, how many fake illness excuses are they really going to buy anyhow?_ Dashing up the stairs of the school building she threw open the doors and raced past the few loitering students in the hallway. She dodged other scurrying bodies, skidding a bit as she took the corner a bit too sharply, and finally leaping through the slowly closing door.

Luckily she didn't collapse into a heap until she reached her chair. She chose to ignore the chuckles and smart aleck remarks… and that was just from the teacher.

"So glad you could join us today, Higurashi."

Perhaps if Kagome wasn't so busy sucking in air desperately she might have had a sarcastic comeback or even a polite reply. As it was, however, she was lucky to get out any sort of audible sound other than gasping for air. A wave of the hand would just have to do.

Just when Kagome thought her day couldn't get worse, her story was read aloud to the class. Quietly she banged her head against her desk. She stopped when she felt something bounce of her head and land in front of her. It was a piece of paper folded into a heart. Kagome sighed, no signature was needed, there is only one person she knew who would spend so much time folding a note… Hojo.

_GREAT STORY HIGURASHI! I AM VERY IMPRESSED WITH YOUR TALENT. PERHAPS YOU WOULD HELP ME WITH MY WRITING FOR THE NEXT ASSIGNMENT? _

_- HOJO_

_All that work folding for three short sentences._ Kagome rolled her eyes as her friend Eri snickered at the heart shaped note. Not wanting to get caught… again… passing notes in class, Kagome hid the note under her book and glanced down at the words. It irritated her how perfect his handwriting was. He wasn't one of those boys who scribbled and scrawled their name, or even wrote in all capital letters like some of the other boys. Nope, not Hojo. Every letter was nice, neat, and utterly perfect. _Oh well, at least he didn't do bubble letters like Eri. They may be cute, but they sure can be hard to read._

Kagome scribbled down one word, **_sure_**, then folded the note haphazardly. She stretched in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner, adding a slight yawn for effect, and dropped the note behind her head to fall on Hojo's desk.

Hojo had been her friend since Kindergarten. He was sweet and good natured, and always, and I mean ALWAYS, had a positive attitude. In her freshman year of high school Kagome thought that she might be in love with her friend. They had gone on one date that year. That's when she knew that she only had friendly feelings for him, there was only the love one friend feels for another. Things had been awkward for a few weeks after their date, but they had agreed to be just friends and things got back to normal. They did homework together, and he often came to hang out with her and her three female friends on their WacDonald's Wednesday.

Amazingly enough, the rest of the day went by without too many problems, we'll not talk about the exploding cake incident in Home Economics… that's just better off forgotten. Kagome walks with Eri and Hojo to WacDonald's where they met up with Yuka and Arimi. After ordering their totally unhealthy yet very tasty meal of fried food, they found a table and sat down to eat.

Hojo began talking about a new movie that was showing at the theater. Kagome only half listened as she watched the other three girls devour their meals and shakes as if the food would leap off the plate and run off if they didn't gulp it down. After a few minutes they popped up out of their seats.

"I have to go shopping for my mom!" Eri explained with a smile.

"I have to baby-sit my cousin!" grinned Yuka as she grabbed her purse.

"I have to… uh…" Arimi thought for a minute, "I have to go!"

Kagome's eyes narrowed as her three friends bolted out of the door, giggling like crazy hyenas. _They set me up!_ she grumbled irritably. _I've told them HUNDREDS of times that Hojo and I are JUST friends!_ She focused on Hojo and opened her mouth to apologize to him when she was startled into silence. He had reached across the table and took her hand in his.

"Kagome… I love you."

"Uh….."

"I know you said we were just friends, but I love you."

"Hojo…." She said sadly as she tried to pull her hand away.

"Don't worry Kagome, I know you don't feel the same way. But I just thought you should know." He squeezed her hand before releasing it. Then he patted it as he let it go and got up from the table. "I'll see you in school tomorrow!"

Kagome looked at her french fries in misery. She hated hurting him.


	3. Dreams

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Three: Dreams

September 22nd - Evening

Feeling miserable Kagome climbed the stairs to her room and flopped on the bed. She couldn't get Hojo's sad face out of her mind. To make matters worse, he had to go and act all UNDERSTANDING about how she didn't love him back.

She sighed heavily. _I'm the worse person ever. What's wrong with me? Hojo is the perfect guy. He's nice. He's sweet. He's thoughtful and understanding. Why can't I love him?_

Rolling to her side she reached for her phone. She had to call him and say… well… something! She should apologize. Her fingers hovered about the phone. _But would that just make things worse?_ Kagome groaned. Of course it would. Though Kagome was a genuinely nice person who never intentionally hurts anyone, saying the wrong thing at the worst time was one of her specialties.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow," she decided.

"Talk to who?"

Kagome threw her pillow at the door. "Quit eavesdropping on me you little brat!"

Her little brother peeked from behind the door and stuck is tongue out at her before blowing a raspberry. He laughed and took off down the hall as his older sister jumped out of bed, pillow/weapon in hand, and chased him through the house.

When Kagome finally made it back to her room she felt much better, thouroughly exauhsted, but better. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that her little brother was antagonizing her on purpose to cheer her up.

It worked.

With a smile Kagome changed into her pajamas and brushed her hair. She gazed at the girl in the mirror.

"I wonder if you have an annoying little brother too," she asked her reflection.

Kagome gasped and dropped her brush. Something in the mirror moved! _Leaves._ There were leaves blowing through her room. She spun around, but her room was just the same. No leaves. In fact, her bedroom window was shut tight.

_Maybe I really am going crazy…_ She shivered.

Crawling into bed she pulls her covers up to her chin. It wasn't that she was cold, but she felt the odd need to be protected. Though she couldn't say from what. She pulled her stuffed dog from the nightstand and hugged it close. She didn't care if people thought she had outgrown sleeping with a stuffed animal, it brought her comfort… plus no one would know. She smiled at the memory of her explaining to her mother how the little white stuffed dog chased away the nightmares. Her mother had patted its head and had told it to keep protecting her little girl.

Slowly she began to drift away in sleep. She saw the falling leaves, but this time she felt a breeze. She found herself looking into a pool of water. No, it wasn't her… not exactly.

Kagome gasped. _It's the girl in the mirror!_

The girl gasped in surprise as well. "You're real!" the girl exclaimed. All Kagome could do was nod. She couldn't find her voice. "What is your name?"

"K…Kagome…" She took a deep breath. "I know you. I've seen you so many times… I was beginning to think that I was crazy! Who are you? What's your name?"

"My name is Kikyo. I am a miko. I have seen you as well, though I know not how."

"Miko?"

"A priestess," she explained gently.

"How cool!" Noticing Kikyo's confused expression she elaborated. "Exciting! Wonderful! I'm nothing, just a school girl. But my grandpa is a priest! We live in a shrine." Kagome smiled in embarrassment. Here she was trying to impress a real actual priestess with her grandfather's rather questionable priesthood.

"Perhaps," Kikyo said softly, "perhaps that is how we are connected." She raised her hand and pointed a finger towards Kagome's heart. "Perhaps you are a miko as well."

Kikyo touched above Kagome's heart. The air sizzled, and a pink light seemed to surround them. Kagome gasped at the tingling feeling in her chest.

Then she woke up.


	4. Kikyo

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Four: Kikyo

September 23rd

Kikyo woke up with a gasp. Her arm tingled down to her fingers. _I touched her. That has not happened before._ She rubbed her hand gently, then rolled onto her side and pulled out her necklace. Gazing at the jewel she noticed it glowing pink, though the glow was fading slowly. _The girl, Kagome, she affected the jewel. How very strange._

With a sigh she sat up. _It is all so strange. I do not understand any of it. Perhaps I should seek council from Kaede._

Hiding the jewel once more, Kikyo prepared for her journey. It had been over fifty years since she last saw her sister, Kaede, though she kept in touch through other means. She sent scrolls and gifts to her sister through a reliable acquaintance, but Kikyo could not face her. The day she left was the very same day that she pinned Inuyasha to the God Tree with her enchanted arrow.

Closing her eyes she could picture the half-demon vividly. He had long silver hair and golden eyes. He was handsome in a wild sort of way. If it wasn't for those canine ears on the top of his head, they might have been able to become friends, perhaps even more. But a miko can not have a relationship with a demon. Relationships outside of a simple friendship were strongly discouraged for priestesses and were completely unheard of with a demon.

She shook her head sadly. If only he hadn't attempted to steal the jewel from her, then she wouldn't have had to shoot him. It was her affection for the half-demon, however, that kept her from killing him. She had left him there, pinned to the tree, as she turned her back on him and went back to the village. It had saddened her to leave him there, for she had once considered him a friend.

If only he was human.

It had crossed her mind to use the jewel's power to turn him human, but Inuyasha wanted to use the power to become a full demon. It was one more reason why their relationship could never be.

As Kikyo began her journey back to her home village, she could feel a pair of eyes on her. _He is here._

"Cease following me, Inuyasha."

The hanyou was indeed free from his long enchanted sleep skewered onto the God Tree. The enchantment lasted only fifty years. Several months ago he woke up and was free. It hadn't taken him long to hunt her down. So far he had made no move to speak to her. It was only through the miko's powers that she could sense the half demon. Twice last week she caught sight of his red fire rat robes as he disappeared into the trees.

They were no longer friends. Yet, they were still not enemies. _What are we?_

Kikyo thought about the girl she saw in her dreams. She wondered if she had similar problems of her own. As she walked along the dusty road she allowed herself the rare luxury of daydreaming. She thought about the kind looking girl, Kagome, and the life she most likely lead.

She ignored the golden eyes upon her, and continued her long journey.

The sound of rustling leaves and brush followed Kikyo's path. She would take deep, calming breaths and pretend she did not feel the presence of Inuyasha. By nightfall she was reciting prayers to keep her temper in check. A miko is always calm and serene. Nothing bothers her… not even annoying dog demons. Calm, collected, and in control.

_No emotions. Be at peace. Be calm… serene…_ she told herself with a clenched jaw. She relaxed the death grip she had on her bow and concentrated on clearing her mind. Focusing her thoughts on the girl she had seen in her dream and the jewels odd reaction to her she managed to think about something other than Inuyasha. Only once before had she seen the jewel glow, and that was that day that the jewel chose her as its protector.

The shadows grew longer and the sky grew dark. Kikyo found a clearing and set down her belongings. She gathered some sticks and twigs and quickly had a fire burning, with a little help from her miko powers.

Thoughts of Inuyasha disappeared as Kikyo gazed at the hot spring that was barely visible between the trees.

_I wonder if she will be there tonight._ Once again Kikyo allowed herself the luxury of daydreaming. For the past several nights she and the girl named Kagome had seen each other in their dreams. Once the girl had caught sight of Inuyasha and had asked about him. All Kikyo would reveal was his name. She was much more interested in finding out more about Kagome's time. It sounded wonderful.

The girl seemed to always be on the edge of laughter and joy. She looked innocent and sweet. She looked happy.

"I wish I could be her."

The jewel began to glow.


	5. Two Souls Meet

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Five: Two Souls Meet

September 30th

Kagome yawned loudly as she rested her head on the table beside her math book. If it hadn't been for that little nap she took in history class, there was no way she would have been able to stay up long enough to finish her homework.

Sleepily she gazed at the mirror and tried to see the world her reflection lived in.

"Kikyo…"

As if summoned, an image appeared in the mirror. It was her. It was Kikyo.

The two girls sat staring at each other with mouths slightly open and eyes wide. Though they had seen each other many times in their dreams, this was the first time they were actually awake.

"Are you real?" They whispered in unison.


	6. Girl Meets Hanyou

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Six: Girl Meets Hanyou

September 30th

Kikyo reached out towards Kagome, her fingers resting on the opposite side of the glass. She gasped as she saw a silver and red blur behind the girl. Before she could open her mouth to warn Kikyo of the presence, a demon was peering at her over the other girl's shoulder to stare at her. His eyes were golden and full of curiosity. Kagome slowly stretched her hand out. Her fingers rested on the cold glass.

Then the jewel began to glow brighter. The cold glass melted away, and Kagome felt the warm fingertips of Kikyo. Suddenly there was a tug, deep inside her belly, that pulled her through the mirror. First her hand, then her head, soon her whole body was surrounded by water.

Kagome began to panic! She hadn't taken a breath to hold since she had no idea she would pulled underwater while in the middle of her own bedroom. She would have screamed if she had the air in her lungs. Wildly Kagome began to thrash around, her legs kicking desperately. Her lungs burned.

_Which way is up? Am I floating? Am I sinking? I'm going to die! I'm going to DIE! _Darkness began to creep into her vision.

Something grabbed her arm and pulled. Once she broke the surface she began to gasp for air. Her chest hurt and her entire body was trembling. She thanked every higher being she knew of for being alive as she fell towards the grass. Air never tasted so good as for those first few breaths she took.

After she began to finally catch her breath she pushed her wet hair out of her eyes. Golden eyes stared at her with more intensity than Kagome had ever seen before. Then he began to sniff her hair and arms. Then he growled.

"Who are you?" he demanded, eyes narrowing dangerously.

_He's GROWLING! At me! He's growling at me! He has FANGS!_ Suddenly the dream became even more of a nightmare as Kagome wondered if this boy had saved her just to kill her.

"WHO ARE YOU?"

"My… my name is Kagome. Kagome Higurashi." Slowly stood up, using the tree nearest her to steady herself, as she introduced herself. "And you don't have to be so rude, you know, Inuyasha" she added crossly.

"What did you do with Kikyo, wench? And how do you know my name?"

"K….Kikyo told me…."

Inuyasha flexed his claws and snarled.


	7. Boy Meets Miko

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Seven: Boy Meets Miko

September 30th

Kikyo stepped out of the mirror and found herself in an unfamiliar room. It was small, but pleasant. As she begins looking around she senses someone is watching her. She turns and faces a wooden door, with a pair of brown, glaring eyes peeking from behind it.

"Come out, boy."

The young boy came out from behind the door. He was slightly frightened, but continued to glare at her.

"Where is Kagome?" he asked.

Kikyo remained silent. She was unsure of how she should answer the child, for she did not know.

"Where is my sister?"

_It must have been the jewel. I remember it beginning to glow. And I remember…_ Kikyo gasped _…the wish._ Kikyo quickly scanned to room until she found what she was looking for. The mirror.

Kikyo looks into the mirror, with Souta looking from behind her. They see Kagome.

"She's drowning!" Souta screamed.

They watched helplessly as Kagome thrashed underneath the water. They could see the terror in her eyes as she quickly held her nose so she wouldn't accidentally breathe in the murky water.

"What did you do to her?" he demanded as he helplessly pounded on the mirror.

Kikyo would have liked to deny that she had anything to do with this… but she remembered the wish. Her hand went to the jewel that hung on a chain at her throat, but it was gone. Her eyes opened wide in surprise, then were drawn to the image of Kagome in the mirror. There was the jewel, glowing just beneath the surface of Kagome's skin near her hip.

"It has chosen a new protector."

"What has?"

Kikyo looked at the child with serious eyes. She had almost forgotten about his presence. "The Shikon jewel."

Souta looked doubtful. "I thought that thing was just a legend."

Kikyo was surprised. She had not thought that her world and the one she currently found itself in were connected. Perhaps there was more to the strange happenings than it would appear. Quickly she schooled her features to portray calmness to cover up her surprise.

"You know of the jewel?"

"Sure. It's the jewel of the four souls. It grants wishes and brings good luck. We sell them here at the shrine."

Kikyo coughed. "You SELL them?"

Souta gasped when he saw a clawed hand grab his sister. "What is that?" All thoughts and questions about the jewel were instantly forgotten.

"Inuyasha."

"It has claws! And FANGS!"

"He is a demon," she explained calmly.

"A demon has my sister!"

Kikyo watched the girl gasping for breath. She saw the moment the girl realized who, or what, had saved her. "He is a half-demon."

"It has my sister! Save her!" he demanded with a voice bordering on hysteria. "Leave her alone!" he shouted at the half-demon who was scaring his older sister.

Kikyo hesitated. She was free. She no longer carried the burden of the jewel. She could live a normal life like a normal girl. She could even grow old with a person she loved. It was her chance at happiness.

"Kagome!" Souta screamed.

With an uncharacteristic curse, Kikyo reached into the mirror to save Kagome. For the first time in many years there were tears in her eyes threatening to fall. _I was so close._ But her fingers bumped against the glass. The mirror would not allow her through.

The watched in horror as the half-demon pounced on the shivering girl.


	8. Curious Puppies and Shiny Objects

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Eight: Curious Puppies and Shiny Objects

September 30th

Kagome's eyes widened as the silver haired half-demon pounced. She barely had time to scream before she was grabbed and thrown back into the water.

"What are you DOING?" Kagome screamed after her head came back out of the cold water. She treaded water, not wanting to get too close to the bank where the demon was waiting impatiently.

"Go back," he demanded, "And bring back Kikyo."

Kagome closed her mouth, understanding finally dawning on her. Fear and anger disappearing. _He's her friend, he's worried…_ She treaded water silently, biting her lip in concentration. _Can I go back?_

There was a blur of red, then suddenly she felt a hand on her head. She looked up into the golden eyes above her. _He's hanging from a tree branch. What is he, half monkey?_ She opened her mouth to ask if he was indeed half monkey, when her head was unceremoniously dunked under the water. She came back up sputtering angrily.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

Silently he dunked her head under the water again. This time she grabbed the sleeve of his robe and tugged hard. Not expecting her to try and pull him in, Inuyasha was thrown off balance and landed with a splash beside her.

"Stop trying to drown me!" She splashed water at him after his head appeared out of the water.

"I'm trying to send you home, you stupid girl." He glared at her, then swam sulkily to the bank. Kagome watched as he shook himself dry and tried very hard not to giggle. _Nope, not a monkey. He must be a dog demon._

Kagome looked at the murky water. _Maybe it will work. Maybe this IS the way to go home._ Suddenly she wanted to go home just as desperately as the young man seemed to want her to go. She took a deep breath and dove towards the bottom of the water. When she realized she was running out of breath she swam back towards the top.

"Let me try again!"

It wasn't clear if she was telling the dog demon who was watching her intensely, or if she was talking to herself. After a couple of deep breaths she dove back into the water. As she swam under the water she opened her eyes, but it was too dark and murky to see much. Branches from trees long since buried in the deep water scratched her arms and pulled at the sleeves on her shirt.

Once again Kagome broke the surface of the water. She bit her lip as she treaded water. It was difficult fighting against the tears. _This can't be happening!_ She shook her head to rid herself of the negative thoughts starting to overwhelm her. With a heated glare at the water beneath her, she took another deep breath, ignoring her tiring muscles, and tried once more.

The picture of Inuyasha as she dove back into the water made her smile. He had been sitting on the branch above her again. His eyes were wide and observant, and his head was cocked to one side. He reminded her of a curious puppy.

Her thoughts distracted her from watching her movements, and one of her socks got caught in the branches of one of the underwater growths. Struggling only made the problem worse. _It feels like fingers grabbing me… sharp fingers._ Kagome blinked twice. _Things are different here…_ Slowly she looked down. The branches had indeed grabbed her leg. She instinctively opened her mouth to scream when she saw two glowing green eyes open in the shadows.

Quickly Kagome used her hand to pinch her nose closed as she kicked her legs, hoping to dislodge herself from the odd looking demon. She knew that she had swallowed too much water. Her vision began to go dark. A searing pain in near her hip let her know that the demon had cut her open.

Then everything was silent and still.

"Stupid girl." The sound was muffled, but Kagome could just make out the words.

_Why am I so tired?_ She tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn't respond to her commands. _And why do my ribs hurt so badly?_

The second question was answered as she felt her stomach and ribs being pushed so hard she thought that they might get crushed. She felt the water rush up through her throat and coughed it out. As she coughed she was quickly turned so that she was facing the ground. Awkwardly Inuyasha patted Kagome's back. She would have smiled at his attempt at being consoling if she hadn't been coughing up, what she roughly guesstimated, a gallon of pond water. Unfortunately, this also caused a violent reaction with her stomach and she literally lost her last meal as well.

Once the coughing and spitting subsided she was propped up against a tree. Embarrassed she ducked her head and shut her eyes. She could feel his presence.

"Don't do that again," he warned.

"Do what?" She paused to cough. It felt like she was coughing up her lungs. Her throat felt raw. "Try swimming back to where I came from? Get attacked by some weirdo tree demon? Drown? Or…"

He put his hand over her mouth and narrowed his eyes.

"Keh." He said. "Just don't."

Kagome wasn't sure what 'Keh' meant, but got the general idea. _I won't be going back home that way._ She sniffled. _If I get to go home at all…_ Tears threatened to fall. _What if I can never get back home! What if I never get another chance to tell Mama I love her? Does Souta know how much I love him? And Grandpa? I'll never get the chance now!_ She was beginning to work herself up into a fine state of panic.

Inuyasha stared at the girl in horror. "Stop crying!" he demanded. The demand did not exactly have the desired effect. The dog-demon had to put his hands over his ears when her soft cries turned into full blown wails of despair. He looked on the verge of bolting. "Stop it!"

Just as he was about to bonk the girl over the head to knock some sense into her, he noticed that she was bleeding.

"You've been wounded."

Kagome's cries turned into sniffles as she put her hand on her hip where the demon had cut into her flesh. "I guess so."

She put her hand over the cut in her hip and she felt a lump. Thoughts of a tumor paralyzed her. Then an irrational fear (probably brought on by devouring too many science fiction novels) of the demon implanting something in her started her screaming and clawing at her skin. "Get it out get it out get it out!"

Afraid that the girl was going to hurt herself, Inuyasha grabbed her arms and pinned them above her head.

"Stupid girl," he admonished, "What are you trying to do? Kill yourself?"

"_Pleeeeeeease_ get it out." Her voice was soft and trembling as she begged him.

Inuyasha looked down to where the girl was bleeding. He noticed the lump. Worriedly he looked at it. Though he did not know anything about tumors, he did know about demons implanting their eggs into humans. Often the human was used as an incubator, and when the eggs hatched, the body of the human host was used as food for the hungry young demons.

"I'll try not to kill you," he said as he let go of the girl's hands and flexed his claws.

Kagome wasn't sure if he was kidding or not, but the determined look in his eyes made her decide to trust him. "Thanks," she said, "I would appreciate that. Dying isn't on my To Do List for the day."

The girl grinned and tried not to laugh as Inuyasha cocked his head to one side and looked at her curiously, obviously not understanding her phrase. The smile died on her lips when she saw his razor sharp claws hover above her hip.

"This is going to hurt," he warned.

Kagome nodded in understanding. She clenched her fists and her jaw and tried to prepare herself for what was to come. Wincing, she felt one claw lightly scratching slightly below where the lump was.

"Try to do it quickly," she whispered.

There was a pause. "You can scream," he said, as if giving her permission. Then one of his claws ripped through her skin, slicing it deep enough to extract the lump. He was surprised that the girl had not screamed. He had heard her inhale sharply when he cut her, but no other sound. At first he thought that she may have fainted. When he looked back into her face he saw that she was biting her lip.

"Now your lip is bleeding too," he admonished, "Stupid girl."

"My name is Kagome," she growled between gritted teeth. If her eyes had been open she would have seen the demon give her a toothy grin. But by the time her eyes could pry themselves open his scowl was back in place.

"Keh."

Kagome rolled her eyes. Then she looked down at the lump on the ground where it had fallen. It was glowing pink.

"The Shikon jewel," Inuyasha whispered. "And it's glowing!"

"Is it safe to touch?"

Inuyasha shrugged.

Kagome picked up the jewel and held it in her hands. "It's so warm. It feels like its pulsing." She turned her eyes upon her new companion. "Is it alive?"

Inuyasha ignored her question as he slowly stood up. He reached down and pulled Kagome to her feet. She blushed at the close contact, which, in turn, had him blushing. Since feeling flustered isn't one of the dog-demon's favorite feelings, so he turned to one of his favorites instead, annoyance.

"Just great, wench. Now we have to go see that old hag, Kaede." He huffed and turned towards the road. "Let's get going."

His ears swiveled as he heard the girl growl again. He wondered if perhaps she might be part dog demon too.

"The name is KAGOME. KA…GO…ME!"

Inuyasha didn't even bother to turn to look at the furious girl. He shrugged. "Keh."


	9. Priestess Set Free

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Nine: Priestess Set Free

October 1st

The sunlight glinted off the sharp blade. Kikyo experienced her first real sense of fear in many years. As it came closer she shut her eyes tight and clenched her hands into fists. She tried to calm the rapid heartbeat in her chest, but it was no use.

A gasp escaped her lips as the blade cut slowly.

"Please stop that," Souta begged, "You're making me nervous." He continued to cut slowly and steadily. "Besides, it's just hair. It will grow back."

Kikyo remained silent with her eyes closed. The snipping sound caused her to cringe. She could feel tendrils of her beautiful long hair floating to the floor. She couldn't remember why she was allowing the young boy to destroy her hair.

"Kagome's hair is a little shorter than yours. To make people believe you are her, you have to look like her. And for heaven's sake smile once in awhile!"

After long torturous minutes, Souta announced that he was finished. Kikyo was reluctant to open her eyes. She never thought that she was vain… until Souta made the first cut. It bothered her that she felt that way. As a priestess, vanity is not allowed.

_But… am I still a priestess?_ She wondered.

Kikyo opened one eye to peek at herself in the mirror, then the other. She was stunned at how much she looked like Kagome. Turning to the side she tried to see what her hair looked like from the back. It was still long, about halfway down her back, but much shorter than she was used to. And the ends were slightly uneven.

"Do you usually cut your sister's hair?" Kikyo asked.

Souta nodded. "Yeah, she hates spending the money at a salon, so she buys me a sundae if I cut it for her."

"Sundae?"

"Yeah, it's a scoop of ice cream with chocolate or caramel on it with nuts and whipped cream and a cherry." Souta's eyes dropped to the carpet. He wondered if his sister would ever come back to share another sundae. He fought against the tears that were pricking his eyes.

"Ice cream?"

Souta looked up at Kikyo and gave her a smile. "Yeah, it's a frozen treat, made from milk and sugar and… uh… lots of other tasty stuff. It's really good." He was beginning to drool. "Hey, let's go get one! After all, it's almost a tradition to go get ice cream after a haircut."

Kikyo allowed the boy to grab her hand and to pull her down the stairs. At the base of the stairs stood an old man in traditional priest clothing.

"Kagome," he said, "I need your help in the Shrine."

"Keep going… and pretend you don't hear him… it will be suspicious if you stop…" whispered Souta.

Following the lead of her 'little brother', Kikyo hurried down the stairs. She allowed her eyes to wander in the direction of the old man.

"You need to take your duties at the Shrine more seriously, young lady!" the old man yelled as the two young people bolted out of the house. He was waving a broom at them and complained about lazy grandchildren.

"Just keep running."

Kikyo ran.

As she ran she began to smile. She was free. She was really and truly free. For the first time since she could recall, Kikyo laughed. It felt good.

Really really good.

She laughed again as she ran faster after her new brother.


	10. On the Way to Kaede's House

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Ten: On the Way to Kaede's House

October 6th

It was five long days of grumbling and grouching and complaining, but finally Inuyasha saw the village he was looking for. He glanced at his traveling companion and had a hard time not smiling.

She was worn out. Her clothes were dirty and from all the complaints over the last several days he knew that every muscle in her body was sore. Yet she still looked around with interest at everything, squealing happily when something new caught her eye. She still walked along at a steady pace, never once suggesting that they stop. And she still smiled, somehow making her eyes sparkle no matter how tired she was.

Inuyasha sighed and glanced at the girl beside him as she yawned loudly. She hadn't seen the village yet, nor was her nose sensitive enough to smell the smells of the village and its people.

"Let's camp for the night." Even though it may have sounded like a suggestion, he knew that Kagome knew that it was an order. He saw a now familiar fire spark in her eyes. Preparing himself for a battle with her, he watched cautiously as she was fighting with herself. He smirked. Part of her hated being told what to do, but the other half was so tired any excuse to stop was a good excuse.

When she closed her eyes and opened them again, Inuyasha was happy to see that the tired part of her won. He relaxed.

"Thanks," she said, "That sounds like a good idea."

He wondered why she didn't ask him why they stopped. He could see her glance at the sun and notice that it was unusually early. He saw her eyes calculating, trying to figure him out. Then he saw her shrug and smile. It was a happy, grateful smile. He almost returned it.

"Feh," he said as he jumped onto a low hanging branch, "Your weak human body slows us down."

"You're the one who suggested we stop." He heard her grumble under her breath as she kicked some rocks away from the base of a tree. Inuyasha could tell that she had forgotten that she was mad at him as soon as she plopped down on the ground and let out a contented sigh.

Carefully she began to take off her shoes. "I really wish I had worn tennis shoes… but who knew I'd be traipsing around a forest for weeks," she scolded herself in a whisper. There were many times during their trek that Inuyasha wished he didn't have such superior hearing, her complaints were always whispered to herself. It bothered him that she would never tell him things directly. He wasn't entirely sure why it bothered him so much that she wouldn't tell him, but it did. So he did the only thing he could, wait patiently and watch.

Grimacing at the site of her dirt covered socks, Kagome started sliding them down her calves. Suddenly she hissed in pain.

Inuyasha was crouched in front of her inspecting her feet before the first tear could fall. The surprise of his sudden appearance caused her tears to be forgotten.

"What happened to your feet?" he demanded angrily.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Blisters, dog boy. You know, from all the walking we've been doing." She attempted to pull her feet away from the demon's scrutiny, but he grabbed her ankles and turned them gently from side to side.

Her feet were an unhealthy shade of bright red and covered in painful looking blisters. Some had already broken raggedly. There was even blood on her socks and shoes. Inuyasha cursed silently at her stupidity and stubbornness, and his own. After all, he knew how stubborn she was. But she hadn't complained, even though she was limping slightly, so he didn't stop.

After the inspection he scowled at her and growled. "Why didn't you say something? You are the stupidest human I have ever met!" He continued to glare at her red and blistered skin. "I could have carried you."

"Oh…"

Inuyasha stood up and crossed his arms, looking away from her. "There's a cold stream nearby if you want to put your feet in. It will make them feel better."

Kagome nodded and started to stand. Her breath left in a gasp as Inuyasha scooped her up. His ears twitched at the sound, then he grinned wickedly. Before the girl could grab onto him, Inuyasha began to race through the woods. He glanced down and saw her eyes. There was no fear in them, just surprise. When he picked up speed he heard her laugh happily as she turned her face into the wind.

Once they reached the water, Inuyasha carefully set the girl onto the bank, then jumped into the branches to watch over her. He winced in sympathy as her breath left in a hiss of pain as she eased her sore feet into the water. Only when she sighed contentedly did he relax. He wasn't sure what was so fascinating about watching her kick her feet happily in the water, but he couldn't help himself.

"Are we close to the village?" she asked.

Inuyasha looked towards the village, and away from Kagome. If she noticed his ears drooping she didn't mention it. He looked back at her and saw her studying him.

"Yes."

"How close?"

"Very."

It was difficult not to smirk when he heard the girl growl again. He briefly wondered why making her mad was so much fun. It surprised him when she said nothing more and turned her attention back to the water. Her feet stopped moving.

"Can you see Kikyo?" he asked curiously. He dropped from his spot on the branch and landed lightly beside his companion.

Kagome's face dropped. "No."

Inuyasha looked into the water. There was nothing unusual about it at all. He looked into Kagome's face and saw that she was angry. _Probably with me_, he thought. _Of course she is, stupid_.

He looked at Kagome's reflection through the water. She still looked upset about something. Before he could stop himself he blurted out the truth. "We are close to town. We could have made it there by sunset if we hadn't stopped."

He waited for her to yell at him, but the words never came. She simply stared at the reflections in the water… patiently waiting.

"It might be best if you go in alone to talk to Kaede."

She gasped. "No!"

"Look, you…."

She grabbed onto a lock of his silver hair and pulled his face towards hers. "Please don't leave me!"

Her eyes were desperate. Inuyasha hated the heavy feeling of guilt in his chest. His nose smelled the salt from her tears at the same moment her eyes threatened to overflow. _She thinks I'm abandoning her…._

"No, you don't understand, stupid. I'm not…"

"Don't leave me, please!"

"Stop pulling on my hair! I'm not leaving you, wench!" He pulled his hair from her grasp and held onto her hands so she didn't have a chance to grab onto some more. _That girl has some grip!_

"But you said…"

"I said you should go into the village alone to go talk to Kaede. Demons aren't welcome in villages."

She cocked her head to one side. "What?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Demons aren't welcome, even half-demons like me. They will run us out of town, probably throwing rocks or shooting arrows. If I go in with you, they will hate you too."

The sudden anger in her eyes made Inuyasha flinch. He could swear that he saw her engulfed in flames. His brain scrambled, trying to think of what he might have said to get her so mad at him. He would never admit it to anyone EVER, but he was suddenly very afraid.

"Did. They. Throw. Rocks. At. You?" she asked him calmly. It disturbed him how calmly though. Each word was slow and careful. Her eyes were narrowed and staring at the water again. He was now slightly unnerved. He folded his arms in front of himself, in an unconsciously protective way.

When he didn't answer she turned her unflinching gaze towards him.

"In this village," she asked slowly, "Did they throw rocks at you?"

Inuyasha refused to meet her gaze as he grunted. He didn't like thinking about those days. It's not like the rocks hurt him physically, but the shame and the feelings of being hated were much more painful. Scars heal. _Most scars_, he corrected himself.

"Did they shoot at you with arrows?"

If it wasn't for his super sensitive hearing, Inuyasha might not have heard the softly asked question. His hand automatically went to his chest. The scar was still there, right above his heart. If she had been two inches lower he would have been dead. Still… he couldn't bring himself to hate Kikyo. She had missed intentionally, he was sure of it.

Mostly sure anyhow.

His actions and silence weren't overlooked by the dark haired girl. When he looked into her eyes he could have sworn that she was reading his mind. She looked sad… and angry. Her emotions whirled in her eyes, it was like she couldn't pin down any one emotion. It was fascinating. Finally she must have decided on sympathy, the flames seemed to have receded to a faint glow.

"We'll figure something else out," she told him as she began swishing her feet in the water, keeping her toes away from a fish with a tendency to nibble. "We don't have to go into that village."

Inuyasha huffed. "Of course you do, you have to speak with Kaede."

Kagome stretched out her arms and leaned back. "Well, I'm not going without you, so we'll just have to figure something else out."

"Look, stupid, you can't be seen with me. _Anywhere_. I'll leave you with Kaede." Finally Inuyasha said the words he had been dreading.

Journeying with Kagome had been fun. More fun than he ever remembered having in his life! He liked her company. He liked arguing with her. He liked listening to her sing and hum as she walked, breaking the silence. He liked watching her gasp with pleasure every single time she saw a particularly beautiful wildflower or spring of water. He liked HER. And he knew that he was going to miss her.

He wasn't expecting the pain in her eyes, however.

"You don't want to be seen with me?"

"WHAT? No…. that's not…"

"YOU'RE DITCHING ME?"

Inuyasha blinked. One would think that he would have been used to her mood swings by now, but he wasn't. He scooched slowly away from her.

"Kagome, listen to me."

That shut her up. He knew that he rarely used her name. He wasn't sure why, but using it embarrassed him. It felt like he was doing something he shouldn't.

"Kagome, you don't understand. The people here will HATE you… shun you… if you are seen with me. You can't be seen in the company of a demon here. It isn't done." Inuyasha cringed slightly as he spoke the same words that Kikyo had once spoken to him.

He jumped slightly when he felt a hand cover his.

"I don't care," she told him. "You are my friend. And I don't care what other people say. If they throw rocks, we'll just throw them right back. The arrow thing may be a problem though…."

Inuyasha laughed before he could stop himself. It was worth it, however, when he saw her face light up. She giggled and splashed him with water.

"I'll get you a bow and arrow," he promised her. "Then you can shoot arrows right back at them."

Just that moment, facing a mob of angry rock throwing arrow shooting villagers sounded like a whole lot of fun… with Kagome at his side.


	11. Older Younger Sister and Other Explanati...

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Eleven: Older Younger Sister and Other Explanations

October 7th

Honestly, Kagome tried to keep from glaring at each villager they encountered in the village, really she did. But she just couldn't help it. Any one of these people may have been one of the ones who ran Inuyasha out of the village. _Threw things at him! Rocks! ARROWS!_ The more she thought about it the angrier she got. Whether or not the villagers quickly got out of their way because of the surly looking dog-demon or the snarling human girl was debatable.

She felt Inuyasha put a hand on her shoulder. Looking up at him she saw that he was trying to hide his amusement as he shook his head. Kagome found herself relaxing, even smiling, though she continued to glare at people as they walked.

They finally stopped in front of a hut on the edge of the village, far away from the others. There was a small, but well cared for, garden in the back.

"Kaede is Kikyo's sister, right?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yes, her younger sister." Then he began to snicker, as if remembering a funny joke.

"What's so funny, dog-boy?"

Instead of answering he called out loudly. "Oi! Old woman!"

Out of the door walked an elderly woman. Her gray hair was pulled tightly back, and she had an eye patch. Kagome kept her pirate comments to herself. The woman was also wearing loose red pants and a white top. She was leaning against a long bow and drew an arrow from a quiver slung across her back, pointing the tip at Inuyasha's heart.

Immediately Kagome jumped in front of Inuyasha with her arms outstretched. She heard him gasp lightly, but didn't take her eyes off the threatening woman.

"You will not hurt him!" Kagome yelled.

"Inuyasha?" The elderly woman lowered her bow, though did not drop the arrow.

"We need your help, old woman." He stepped from behind Kagome. She could have sworn she heard him chuckling as he pushed her arms back down to her sides. But Inuyasha never chuckles. _Or does he?_

"I thought we were looking for Kaede." Kagome whispered.

"What do you want, Inuyasha?" The old woman looked from Inuyasha to Kagome, then back to Inuyasha.

"We need your help to get Kikyo back."

"Kikyo?" she gasped. "Where is my sister?"

Now Kagome was officially confused. This woman was old enough to be her grandmother! No way could she be Kikyo's sister.

"You're not… Kaede… are you?"

"Indeed I am, young woman. And who are you?"

Instead of answering, Kagome gave a little laugh, saw that the woman was dead serious, and then promptly fainted.

The first thing Kagome was aware of was Inuyasha shouting angrily. He was yelling at the old woman, accusing her of using witchcraft on her. Kagome would have laughed if she wasn't so embarrassed at fainting. It just wasn't like her. _I must have just been overly tired, it's not like I slept much lately. And we've been walking forever._ She thought about Kaede. _Then there was always the shock about Kikyo's younger sister being old enough to be her grandmother…_

She listened to Inuyasha switch between shouting angrily at Kaede and muttering awkward phrases of comfort to her as he petted her hair.

Knowing that she couldn't pretend to be asleep forever, even though she was beginning to enjoy Inuyasha's unusual behavior towards her, Kagome slowly opened her eyes. She was taken aback by seeing only swirling gold. At first she thought that there was something wrong with her eyes, maybe fainting knocked something loose in her head. Then she realized that the gold was Inuyasha's eyes. She blinked quickly, but couldn't focus. She wasn't aware she was holding her breath until he backed away.

"You're awake!" There was a pause. "Finally." He quickly looking away, folding his arms in front of his chest, and sounding irritated.

Kagome chose to ignore the last part. Over the last few weeks she had grown used to his gruff ways. Most of the time it amused her more than irritated her. But she'd never tell him that.

"Are you really Kaede?" she asked as the elderly woman walked into the room carrying a cup with what Kagome was assuming was tea in it. After smelling it, Kagome hoped that it wasn't for her.

"Aye.

Kagome shook her head as she sat up. "But that's impossible. Kikyo is my age. There's no way you could be her younger sister! I mean, you're old enough to be her gra… uh… her mother!"

Kaede smiled indulgently. "Child, there is much that you do not know."

"Enlighten me," Kagome said, hoping it didn't come out as sarcastic as she thought it did. The way that Inuyasha snickered made her think that maybe it did. "Please."

"Kikyo was the guardian, the protector, of the Shikon jewel. It is a jewel filled with magic, and is very discerning about who it chooses as its protector. Because of how long it takes to find a suitable protector, the jewel compensates by extending its magic to the current guardian. It slows the aging process greatly. Though nearly fifty years has passed since Kikyo was chosen as the guardian, for her, time has stood still."

"She's immortal?" Kagome was in awe. It sounded like a plot from a science fiction movie. It had been weeks since she last doubted her sanity, but once again she began to worry. Her biggest worry, however, was that this was just a dream after all. She was beginning to feel the beginnings of hysteria. She looked frantically towards Inuyasha, confirming that he was still there. He was. Quickly she looked back to Kaede, missing the dog-demons startled look.

"Nay, child. Not immortal. She can be killed. Now that she no longer possesses the jewel, she will grow old at the normal rate. You, now, are the protector of the jewel. It will lend you the same magic that it once lent my sister."

Kagome blinked. _Is she saying what I think she's saying?_ "I won't grow old?"

Kaede laughed. "Eventually. But not for a very long time. It could be hundreds of years until you age, thousands if the jewel has not chosen a new protector."

"If it does?"

"Then the magic will be given to the new protector."

"How often does it choose a new protector? Kikyo was only protecting it for around fifty years, right?"

Kaede sighed. "That, child, is where it gets confusing. I do not know why the jewel chose you. The jewel has always found a new protector after the death of its current guardian. Never before has it chosen someone new while it had a guardian who was alive and healthy."

Kagome thought about her conversations with Kikyo. The young priestess had not been happy being the jewel's guardian. _And I wanted so desperately to change places with her at the time._

"I think it knew…" she whispered. She ignored Inuyasha's quizzical look.

"Inuyasha told me of what transpired while ye rested, child. I know not the way myself. Though in the hills there is a shrine that holds a scroll that may have the answers. Speak to the monk, Miroku."

"More walking?" Kagome whined as she fell back onto the bedding.

OoOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Notes: Thanks for your reviews everyone! I really appreciate it. It makes writing worth it.


	12. Short Skirts and Long Winded Friends

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twelve: Short Skirts and Long Winded Friends

October 11th

It hadn't taken long for Kagome's mother to figure out that the young girl sleeping in the room upstairs was not her daughter. After grilling Souta and threatening to take away all of his electronic games, she finally found out the truth.

Kikyo should have been worried, but the woman was actually very kind about it and took the news amazingly well. Not many mothers would have taken very well the news that their daughter had been sucked into some inter-dimensional porthole and replaced with another girl who could be her twin.

All she asked was that she be called when Kagome was next seen in the mirror.

"She's here!" Kikyo called, as Kagome's face began to appear in the mirror. Kikyo put down the pencil and pushed the books away. Her 'mother' insisted she study hard before she was allowed to go to school. _And tomorrow is the day._

Kikyo watched as Souta and his mother talked with Kagome. She noticed that Inuyasha stayed close by the girl's side. He even made somewhat sociable comments on occasion, especially to the hero struck Souta.

"You should have seen your sister, kid," Inuyasha bragged, "She threatened to purify an entire village to dust yesterday."

"Alright Kagome!" her brother cheered.

"Kagome!" her mother admonished.

The young girl waved her hands in front of her, as if trying to fend off their words. "They shot at Inuyasha! An arrow missed him by THIS much!" She held her fingers an inch apart.

"Keh."

Kikyo was shocked. Not by the young girl's threat to an entire village or even her protectiveness of the hanyou. After living with her family and learning about her (she admits to reading the girl's diaries), she had some idea of how the girl thought. What surprised her was the attitude of the dog-demon. He was actually gazing fondly at Kagome when he thought that no one could see him. His posture as he stood beside her practically screamed that she was under his protection.

She would admit to feeling a little jealous. Not because she felt that Kagome was stealing her friend or potentially mate, but because the girl had the freedom to let her heart decide. Kikyo slowly smiled. _Now I have that choice._

The mirror shimmered and the faces of Kagome and Inuyasha began to fade. Everyone quickly said their good-byes.

"She looks so happy," her mother whispered gently as she walked to the bedroom door. Kikyo watched as the woman turned and looked at her for a long moment before she closed the door. _I wonder if she means Kagome… or me…_

Morning came all too soon. Kikyo got up and showered. Once again she marveled at the magic of a shower. No matter how many times it was explained to her, the magic of your own personal indoor waterfall that you can control was absolutely amazing!

She turned on her favorite magical contraption she had found so far, the CD player. The music was incredible. Souta had shown her how to work it on her second day in this time. It had scared her at first, she had even attempted to purify it, then it became her most treasured item. Her 'brother' also tried to teach her how to dance. Though she felt awkward and unsure of herself when dancing with Souta around, when she was by herself she let the music move her like he told her to do. She smiled.

The smiled faded once she put on the uniform that she was told that she would have to wear to school every day. The skirt was too short!

"Mother!" she called.

Sleepily Mrs. Higarushi walked into the room with her hot cup of tea. "Yes?"

"Something is wrong with this outfit! It must be missing something! I can not possibly wear it!" She spun around slowly so that her 'mother' could see how indecent it was. Her eyes opened wide when her mother only chuckled and patted her on the head.

"Wearing long knee socks will make you feel less exposed," she advised as she pulled open a drawer and tossed a white ball of fabric to Kikyo.

"Do you remember the names of your friends and your teacher?" Souta quizzed her as he sleepily made his way down the stairs.

Kikyo clutched the photo album, another amazing discovery, to her chest. They were filled with pictures of Kagome's friends and fellow students. Souta had suggested that she carry this with her to remind her who was who and to tell anyone who asks that she is creating a scrapbook.

"Eri, Yuka, Ayumi, and Hojo are my friends. Mr. Kinomoto is my homeroom teacher. I am to follow this schedule to my classes and give each teacher the note that grandfather gave them explaining about a head injury which may result in loss of memory."

Souta and his mother nodded and clapped their hands encouragingly.

The walk to school was humiliating. The tiniest gust of wind sent her hands down to her skirt to keep it from blowing up. She realized that she should have taken the jacket her 'mother' offered her on the way out the door. _At least it would have provided some protection._ Seeing that every other girl her age in the schoolyard wore exactly the same outfit did not make her feel any better.

Three vaguely familiar faces appeared before her, almost out of thin air. Kikyo wondered briefly if they used magic in this world also, though Souta had said that they didn't.

"Eri. Yuka. Arimi. Good morning." She almost bowed, but caught herself in time. _This world is different_, she reminded herself. _Be informal. Be casual. Smile._

"You've been out of school for so long!" the girl possibly named Eri complained.

"We were worried about you, Kagome!" another girl, either Yuka or Ayumi said.

"Are you okay?" asked the third girl.

Kikyo hoped that it was a smile on her lips instead of a grimace. Then she quickly recited her well-planned speech on the fall that she had taken that had tragically robbed her of part of her memory.

"I can only remember bits and pieces," Kikyo tried to explain as her… as Kagome's friends began to prattle on about all the things she missed. Trying to keep up with the conversations made her head spin.

Suddenly a boy with reddish brown hair started waving at her. Kikyo smiled slightly and raised a hand back. _This must be Hojo._

"It is good to see you back, Higurashi."

Kikyo blinked slowly, confused. There was an unusual feeling in her chest, it was difficult to breath. Her heart was picking up speed. She looked around for any sign of danger, but found none. When her heart sped up even faster when he smiled at her, she realized that she was feeling honest to goodness real emotions. It made her smile.

Perhaps smile is not a descriptive enough word. When she smiled, she beamed. It felt like she was filled with sunshine. A giggle escaped as it occurred to her that she was actually free to feel. She would have skipped off towards the building that held her classes if it wasn't so undignified.

Then she thought of Kagome and what she would likely do. She grinned. Then she skipped off towards the building, her talkative friends, and Hojo, trailing behind.

OoOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Notes: Thank you all for reviewing! It always makes me so happy to hear from you, no matter how often.


	13. Dog Demons, Kitsunes, and Wolves, Oh My!

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Thirteen: Dog Demons, Kitsunes, and Wolves, Oh My

October 12th

Kagome applied the healing balm that Kaede had given her before they began their journey several days ago. It was a routine now. Wake up. Put on the balm. Walk for a zillion hours. Put on the balm. Go to bed. Repeat.

The balm cooled her skin. And the stuff didn't smell bad either, a little like peppermint. Kagome couldn't figure out what the ingredients were, but she would bet that any of those bath shops back home would pay out the nose for the recipe. Plus the stuff worked like magic! The blisters were mostly healed. She could have stopped using the cream the day before, but it just smelled so darn good and made her skin so soft that she kept using it.

She could feel Inuyasha's eyes on her as she pulled on her socks and slipped her feet gingerly into her shoes. It was more than obvious that he was checking on her feet to see if they were okay, while trying to be totally unobvious. Every day he would offer to carry her. He said it was so that they could move faster, but Kagome had a sneaking suspicion that he worried about her feet. Sometimes she let pride get the better of her and was determined to walk on her own. Other times she gave in to the temptation of riding on his back, loving how fast he could run. The adrenaline rush was exciting!

Putting the balm into the pack she and Kaede had put together for her, Kagome smiled. _It almost looks like my old backpack now._ Kaede had given her a strange look when she described how she wanted her pack, but when it was finished the elderly lady smiled her approval at its practicality.

The red sleeves on the borrowed shirt were much too long for her, they made her feel like she was playing dress like she did when she was a child. She frowned. _Wake up. Put on the balm. Walk for a zillion hours. Get covered in demon blood. Take a bath and wash my clothes AGAIN. Put on the balm…_

"I swear he does it on purpose," she muttered as she tied her pack.

"Who does what on purpose?"

Kagome looked up and saw Inuyasha on the branch above her. It no longer surprised her when he popped out of nowhere Even though his super hearing no longer shocked her, it was still very impressive.

"Oh… nothing…."

He landed beside her and glared down at her. She almost smirked. There was nothing he hated more than her hiding things from him.

"Spit it out, wench."

Kagome's eyes narrowed and she glared back at him. "My name is NOT wench."

"Stop changing the subject. Who does what on purpose?"

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Kagome answered. "I was just saying that I think that YOU seem to get some sort of perverse pleasure out of trying to DROWN me in demon blood."

"Wha…?"

"Do you like seeing me get sick? Or…", she grinned wickedly as she struck what she hoped was a sultry pose. She had never been good at flirting, never had a reason to test out her skills before. But now… well, using them on Inuyasha was waaaay too much fun. "Or do you just like seeing me in your shirt?"

She knew that anything that even bordered on him having emotions, much less ones that involved females, would send him sputtering and flying off in a panic. And she was not disappointed.

To be fair, she rarely ever intentionally tried to embarrass him. Much. After some sputtering and a few curse words and lame excuses, Inuyasha was bounding away through the trees. Kagome didn't know where he went when he dashes off, but it usually took him a good half hour to an hour to come back, depending on how badly she embarrassed him.

Unless she called for help. Then he was back in moments. She briefly wondered if he had some sort of teleportation abilities he hadn't told her about. A month ago she would have thought she had been reading too much manga and watching too many science fiction movies, but now she wasn't too so sure that teleportation weren't possible. _Here at least._

"Well," she said to herself as she bent down to pick up the bow that Inuyasha had found for her before they left the village, "Time for a little practice."

Kagome always preferred to practice shooting her bow and arrows when Inuyasha wasn't around to tease her about how bad she was at it. She was getting better though. Her last arrow almost made it to the tree she was aiming at. Inuyasha seemed to get great joy out of telling her about how great Kikyo had been with a bow and arrow. She didn't know if it was competitiveness or jealousy, but something in her drove her to improve.

_I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous._ It was her target practice mantra.

Before heading to the tree she had chosen as target practice, she went over to see if her clothes were dry yet. Even though Inuyasha's top covered as much as her skirt did, Kagome was infinitely more comfortable in her own clothes. When she wasn't wearing her uniform she began doubting if she would make it home, it made it seem like she had given up hope. It depressed her. Then Inuyasha gets irritable. Then they argue. Then they fight. Then Kagome has to apologize… and she REALLY hated apologizing for something that she didn't feel was her fault. Though since she traveled to Inuyasha's world, she has gotten a lot of practice at it.

So, to make a long story short, she just felt better, more like herself, when she wore her own clothes.

As she strung her bow and put the first arrow in the notch, she felt a chill go up her spine. _I'm being watched._ She closed her eyes. _It's not Inuyasha._ She didn't know how she knew it wasn't her dog-eared friend… but she knew. Biting her lip she debated on whether or not to call for help.

"Help!"

Kagome blinked. It wasn't her voice! She turned her head in the direction that she heard a young boy's voice.

"NOOOO!" the voice called out in pain.

Kagome grabbed her quiver of arrows and her bow and ran. She jumped over a fallen tree and dodged trees that almost seemed to be coming at her as she raced towards the sound. _It sounds like a child!_

It didn't take her long to come upon the clearing with two demons… three if you counted the little fox demon child who was cowering and crying behind the still body of an adult sized fox.

"Monsters!" the child screamed.

Kagome's heart bled for the child. The other fox must be a relative, most likely one of his parents.

"Foxfire!" Flames shot from the child and engulfed one of the two demons. But they only laughed.

"Another fox for my pelt, brother," the bald one said as the air crackled around him.

"No!" Kagome screamed as her arrow flew. She cried out in frustration when it fell short… by several yards. It did, however, take their attention off the fox child, so it wasn't a complete loss.

"A woman!"

"Let me have her, brother." Again the bald demon demanded from his more handsome, and more human looking sibling.

"The woman is mine. The fox kit is yours."

Kagome ran to the child and scooped him up in her arms. One glance over her shoulder let her know that there was no way that she was going to make it. The two demons were upon them. The fox child clung to her tightly, his tiny claws digging into her skin. With a quiet sob she crouched to the ground, shielding the child's body with her own, hoping to offer him some protection. She closed her eyes and waited for her death.

But it didn't come.

Instead there was a deafening roar behind her, then the now familiar spray of thick liquid against her skin. She smiled brightly. _Inuyasha!_ She turned and froze.

"Who are you?" she asked the man standing over the bald demon. He was tall with long, dark hair pulled into a high pony tail. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen. He was wearing fur and some type of armor around his chest and legs. And… _…is that a tail?_

He smirked. "I am Kouga, Prince of the Wolf demons."

"Thank you, Kouga, for saving our lives."

Kagome was about to step forward, but the bloodied demon began to move. And boy, was he mad. The air around him charged with electricity. He swiped at Kouga, but the wolf demon easily dodged the blow. He turned to give Kagome a grin before he kicked the demon in the jaw.

Since the demons obviously had their attention elsewhere, Kagome took the opportunity to run. She clutched the little fox close to her chest and bolted towards the trees. _We can hide there!_

A hand grasped her by the hair and yanked her off balance. The pain was intense, her scalp burned. It was the more human looking brother.

"Look what I caught, Manten," he said as he pulled Kagome towards him. "It is the prize you fought so hard for."

"Give her to me, Hiten!" The battle with Kouga was forgotten as the bald demon rushed towards the schoolgirl. "I claimed her first!"

_Are they kidding me? What, are they five?_ Kagome kept the young demon she was protecting as hidden as possible. By the grip he had on her, he wasn't planning on letting her go any time soon. She hugged him close reassuringly. _Inuyasha will come._

The blur of red and silver told her that she was right. Inuyasha was here. And he was livid. Just as Manten grabbed onto Kagome, he lost his head. Literally.

"Ewwwwww…." Kagome wrinkled her nose. _Great, another bath today._

Of course, the brother left alive swore vengeance. His one mistake, however, was throwing Kagome violently against a tree. Before Kagome lost consciousness she heard the most vile curse words she had ever heard, and she could have sworn that Inuyasha's golden eyes turned blood red.

Then there was darkness. Again.

"Is she awake yet, kid?" Kagome heard Inuyasha ask.

"For the hundredth time, Inuyasha, NOT YET." She could feel something warm on her cheek. A hand? "Is she ok? She's been asleep for a long time." The tiny voice was sounding very worried.

"She's fine." The big voice sounded very worried too.

Kagome groaned. Her head felt like it was going to split open. She remembered hitting the tree, then wondered if maybe she did split her head open after all. _That would explain why everyone sounded so worried._

"She's waking up!"

Kagome's eyes fluttered opened. She saw two pairs of worried eyes peering down at her. As soon as she could focus, Inuyasha sat up, made a gruff sound, and stared in the opposite direction.

"Told you she was fine," he said. He turned back to Kagome, with an expression that she could only compare with sad puppy eyes. "Are you okay?"

Kagome started to nod, but her head hurt too badly so she just grunted an affirmative. In fact, her whole body hurt. _Is it possible to sprain your entire body?_ Luckily, however, nothing seemed to be broken. To add to her list of awful feelings, she also felt sick to her stomach, and hoped she didn't look as green as she felt.

For the first time she looked around, half expecting to see blood and gore. By now she should have known that Inuyasha would have moved her far away. She was lying under a beautiful shady tree… conveniently next to a hot spring. _He really is thoughtful._ She wouldn't tell him that though, he would just deny it and then be grumpy for the rest of the day. Still… it warmed her heart all the same.

Briefly she wondered what happened to the wolf demon, Kouga. He was forgotten the moment she felt the body of the fox demon child nestling into her arms.

"And who are you?" she asked gently as she gently combed the child's reddish hair with her fingers.

"I'm Shippo! You saved my life!" He went from smiles to tears in a heartbeat. She held him and let him cry. He might have been crying for her. He might have been crying for his lost parent. Or he might have been crying for himself. Kagome rocked him gently, tears streaming down her face as she tried to absorb his pain.

"I'll take care of you," she whispered.


	14. Hojo Makes a Discovery

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Fourteen: Hojo Makes a Discovery

October 15th

Battling demons wasn't nearly as hard as trying catch up in school work. Kikyo pulled herself out of bed with great effort. She had barely been able to grab two hours of sleep after finally finishing her homework assignments. To make things worse, she was pretty sure that she had done half of it wrong.

_Kagome is going to be very angry with me when she returns and finds herself failing all of her classes._ Kikyo frowned. She didn't like to think about when Kagome would be coming back.

She knew it was selfish, but she didn't want Kagome to come back at all. If she could only continue living this life she would be happy. School may be tough, but it beat living her life protecting some stupid jewel. Constantly being hunted. Never being happy. Never being able to live. _Or love._

Glancing towards the mirror she thought of Kagome, and wondered how she was doing. Every time she saw her in the mirror she seemed to be happy, tired, but happy. The girl actually seemed to be enjoying herself. And she even found herself in the company of yet another demon. A fox demon this time.

"Kikyo, darling, it's time to get up!"

"Okay, Mom!"

Kikyo kicked off the covers. Her favorite thing in the world was to leave a messy bed. It was one small defiance against the life of order she had been forced to live.

Her other favorite thing was hearing her mother call her "darling". It made her feel a part of a family… and loved. It was like she was really a normal girl. She felt a moment's pang of guilt before pushing it away and headed downstairs.

The homemade pancakes and syrup came in a close third though as far as favorite things went. Oooh, and the ice cream! Her mother had allowed her to have ice cream after dinner every night since she first tried the delicious treat with Souta, after the haircut incident, and completely fell in love with it. Kikyo knew she was being spoiled, and reveled in the feeling.

She smiled at the family sitting around the table. _Kagome is a fool for wanting a different kind of life._

Even though it had only been since Monday when Kikyo started to school, she was already getting used to where her classes were and knew most of her teachers and her friends' names.

"How are you enjoying school, dear?"

Kikyo beamed. "I love it! There is so much to learn." Then she frowned. "Though I am still so far behind everyone else."

Her mother patted her head reassuringly as she walked her two children to the door. "You will catch up. You are a very bright girl." She thought for a moment. "We can see about getting you a tutor though if you would like. A tutor will be able to help you catch up and will be able to explain things to you clearly."

Kikyo appreciated how her mother would explain unusual concepts, like a tutor or a hot dog, to her without making her feel like she is stupid.

When she opened the door she found Hojo standing outside with a smile on his face, just as he was every morning since he had found out about Kagome's head injury. It touched Kikyo's heart that he went so far out of his way to walk her to school because he was worried about her.

No. He's worried about Kagome, she sternly reminded herself. Her smile faded.

"Are you alright, Higurashi?"

Kikyo looked up into his very concerned eyes. She couldn't help but smile. Even if he was mistaking her for someone else, it still felt nice to have someone worry about her.

"Good morning, Hojo."

"Good morning, Mrs. Higurashi."

Kikyo buttoned up her coat, picked up her yellow backpack, and started out the door. She stopped and turned around when her mother called out to Hojo again.

"Yes?" He was polite as always.

"You used to tutor Souta last year."

"Yes, I did. He is a bright kid, all he needed was a push in the right direction."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled at the way he didn't tell her that her son was smart but lazy. "Could I use your tutoring services again?"

"Is Souta having difficulties?" Hojo looked past the doorway to see the young boy putting on his shoes and pulling on his jacket.

"Souta is fine," she assured him. "You did a great job teaching him. Actually, I would like you to tutor Kagome."

Hojo's eyes widened, and so did Kikyo's.

"But Higurashi already has some of the top grades in the class. I don't think I could be of much help to her." He sounded, and looked, very sorry to have to turn her down.

Mrs. Higurashi gently touched her daughter's cheek before looking at Hojo. "Since… the accident… my daughter has been having troubles with her memories. And I'm terribly afraid that the memories of some of the things that she was taught in school have been lost as well. She is still very smart, but she will have to re-learn many of the things that you now take for granted."

Hojo looked like he had just been whipped. "I am so sorry." He turned to Kikyo with eyes that seemed to threaten tears. "I should have realized that you would have difficulties. Of course I will do everything in my power to help you."

Kikyo bit her lip and turned her gaze from the earnest boy in front of her to her mother. The woman nodded at her.

"Thank you, Hojo. I would appreciate your help greatly."

With that said, Hojo brightened up and the two went off to school. They talked about how to approach the tutoring. They decided to meet everyday after school for an hour or two and start with the basics and work on current assignments.

"We could meet after school today for an ice cream before we study," he said as they reached the school building.

Kikyo grinned brightly. "That would be great!"

The rest of the day was spent looking forward to the sweet treat. She had already planned on what she would order. The banana split! Mmmmm… the one with one scoop of chocolate, one scoop of strawberry, one scoop of vanilla, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, chopped nuts…

"You're drooling," whispered Eri as she handed Kikyo a note.

Kikyo opened up the note. It asked if she was really meeting Hojo after school. Kikyo looked at her friend and nodded. She was a bit taken aback when the girl almost squealed in happiness.

After school Hojo met Kikyo at the gate and they walked in amiable silence to the ice cream shop. Hojo ordered a hot fudge sundae and Kikyo ordered the banana split deluxe, complete with whipped topping, nuts, and a cherry on top.

About halfway through the delicious treat, Kikyo realized that Hojo had not spoken a word to her since they left school. She took her eyes off the desert to find Hojo staring at her. Licking the ice cream off her lips she looked down at her spoon uncomfortably. Was she supposed to be acting differently? _How would Kagome behave?_

"Forgive me for asking this," Hojo asked quietly, "but who are you?"

Kikyo's mouth fell open. Quickly she closed it and studied her spoon once more. "Kagome, of course. We're friends, Hojo, since we were kids."

"How did we meet?"

Kikyo laughed nervously. "My memory… remember?"

Hojo pushed away his uneaten sundae and clasped his hands together on the table top, suddenly very serious. "You are not Kagome Higurashi. Every gesture you make and every word you say tells me that you are not her. You can forget your memories, but you can not become an entirely different person."

"I…. I…." Kikyo began to feel panic building within her chest. What would happen if others found out about the switch she and Kagome made. What would happen to her_? It isn't fair!_

A gasp escaped her lips as she felt her hand being held. She looked across to the young man across from her who was covering her hand with his own.

"Please don't be afraid. You can tell me. You can trust me." And she did. Kikyo actually trusted him.

"My name is Kikyo. It's a very long story."

"I have plenty of time," he assured her.

"Let's go back to Kagome's where we can talk."

Explaining the strange situation took a good portion of the evening. Hojo stayed for dinner, but didn't say much.

"Can I see her?" Hojo asked as vegetables were being passed to him.

Kikyo and her mother looked at each other, then at Hojo.

"I don't see why not." Mrs. Higurashi said.

"I don't always know when she will be there. Sometimes it takes a couple of hours, sometimes a couple of days. We have to be looking for each other at the same time or it doesn't work." Kikyo explained.

During dinner Hojo asked Kikyo questions about her world, and how Kagome seemed to be doing. Is she in danger? Is she healthy? Is she eating well? Kikyo was sorely tempted to hit him over the head with her history textbook, since it was the thickest, if he asked her one more question about Kagome.

Once the dishes were washed and dried, Kikyo and Hojo walked back up the stairs to her room. Kikyo pulled out her textbooks, including her potential weapon, the history book. She looked up to see Hojo staring hard into the mirror. A strange feeling rose within her chest at the sight. It felt as if her heart was being squeezed.

_I am not jealous. I am not jealous. I am not jealous,_ she chanted to herself.

Kikyo cleared her throat. "Did you want to start with Math or History?" _Please, please choose history…_

"Hmm?"

"Homework. You ARE being paid to tutor me aren't you?" _Oooh, now that came out a little more harshly than I intended._ She sighed. "Looking in the mirror won't help you, Hojo. It only works if I am the one staring into the mirror."

She came and stood beside him, looking into the mirror at his reflection sadly.

"How did you know I was not Kagome?"

"No one is like Kagome," he answered.

Without a word Kikyo sank to the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them close as she stared into the mirror beside Kagome's friend. Quietly he sat beside her, and there they sat… watching… and waiting…


	15. A Nice Hot Bath and a Perverted Monk

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Fifteen: A Nice Hot Bath and a Perverted Monk

October 28th

Kagome had been on her bizarre journey with the half dog demon for a month and a week now. Almost two weeks of that time was spent playing mother to a small fox demon child. Every night she would tell Shippo bedtime stories and sing him to sleep. And although Inuyasha complained on occasion, he was always sitting close by with his fuzzy ears twitching at her words, especially when she made up voices to go with the characters she was talking about.

While they walked along the path Kagome would play games with Shippo. Sometimes they were guessing games, sometimes they were riddles, and sometimes they were simple games of hide and seek. Most of the time Inuyasha could be goaded into playing, but it was never an easy task.

"Are we there yet?" whined Shippo.

Inuyasha growled at the oh so familiar question. "For the last time, Shippo, if you ask me that question again I will tear you into tiny pieces."

"Are we close?" asked Kagome.

Inuyasha sighed heavily and dramatically. "We should arrive tomorrow by noon."

Cheers were heard across the forest.

"We would have been there DAYS ago if you two hadn't spent so much time playing stupid games!"

Kagome smiled. Inuyasha's words may have seemed harsh, but something in his tone told her that he had enjoyed every one of the small delays.

"We are sorry, Inuyasha." Of course, anyone anywhere could tell that she wasn't really sorry at all, but the words were enough to make the dog demon happy. "You were playing too," she whispered. The way his furry ear twitched in her direction she was sure he had heard her comment, though no one would be able to tell by looking at him.

_We are almost there._ Kagome frowned. Was her journey really almost over? She looked over at Shippo chewing on Inuyasha's head as the larger demon tried bopping him on the noggin. She bit her lip. _How could I ever say good-bye to them?_ Her eyes fast filled up with tears. Her heart actually hurt.

Suddenly a concerned hanyou was glaring at her. "Oi, wench. What's wrong with you?"

Kagome turned towards the trees. "I am going to go take a bath. We passed a hot spring a bit ago, and I want to be clean when we get there." It was the truth, and also a lie. All she wanted to do was get away from Inuyasha and Shippo. It hurt to look at them and be reminded that soon she would lose them.

"What happens when we reach Miroku?" Kagome heard Shippo ask.

Inuyasha paused before answering. "He sends her home."

Kagome couldn't stop the tears. By the time she got to the hot spring she was bordering on hysterical sobs. After a few final sniffles she wiped away the tears and peered into the water. Baths made her paranoid now. Satisfied that no images were going to be appearing tonight she undressed and slipped into the water.

_Don't think about it,_ she told herself as she tried to relax. _Don't think about leaving._

One thing Kagome missed more than anything else was soap, shampoo, and especially conditioner. Though she had to admit that the stuff Kaede had given her smelled nice.

_I miss bubble baths._ But she enjoyed the hot springs too. _I miss my bed._ But sleeping under the stars was breathtaking. _Except when it rains._ But even that was fun.

Kagome smiled as she recalled the last rain. It was the middle of the night when the first drop fell. It was barely a sprinkle, but Inuyasha had scooped her and Shippo up and had them safe in an abandoned cave. It wasn't until after they were safe and dry with a nice roaring fire going that the hanyou complained about the burden. Kagome hadn't had the heart to remind him that it was his idea in the first place. She had rolled her eyes at him and he had harrumphed.

_Rustle rustle._

A cold chill went down Kagome's spine. She looked around frantically. _Someone is out there._ She could tell it wasn't either one of her traveling companions. She sunk farther down under the water until it reached her nose. Suddenly she was quite aware of her state of undress.

_Rustle rustle._

Now, by no means did Kagome feel like she was a helpless damsel always in need of rescuing. Over the past month she had taken down a demon or two with her bow and arrow. But her almost accurate shooting wasn't going to help her if the bow and arrow were back at the camp.

So, considering the situation she was in, and her lack of options if she wanted to keep her modesty, Kagome did the only thing she could at the time. She screamed.

"INUYASHA!"

A blur of red and silver flashed through the trees, and suddenly her friend was by the bank, looking ready to attack. The glance she threw at the bushes was all he needed. In moments he had a tall, dark haired man by the throat, pinned to a tree.

Inuyasha's growling needed no translation, and the man quickly began explaining himself.

"I mean no harm. I merely stumbled upon this lovely young lady and was so awestruck by her beauty that I could not will myself to move. I do apologize most humbly my lady," the man said with such sincerity that Kagome ALMOST believed him. 'Almost' being the key word. When he turned his eyes back to her she saw the twinkle in his eye as he attempted to see below the water level.

"Pervert!" she screamed as she ducked lower into the water until her nose was just above the water line.

"I am a monk," he explained over Inuyasha's snarling, "My intentions are entirely honorable."

"Sure they are," sneered Inuyasha.

"A monk?" Kagome was now interested.

Considering he was being held around the throat by a very irate dog demon, the man seemed very calm. "Yes my lady, a loyal servant of Buddha."

"Do you know of a monk named Miroku?" Kagome asked.

The man smiled graciously. "I am Miroku."

Cursing was heard in stereo as both Inuyasha and Kagome cursed their luck that this lecherous monk was the man that they were seeking.

Kagome would have liked to punch the monk for the look he was giving her as she tried to keep herself covered in the water. She debated with herself on whether or not she should be smacking a holy man, regardless of his behavior. Plus… they were looking for his help. Inuyasha, however, had no qualms about a little violence, and knocked a few bumps onto the man's head.

"You were searching for me?" the monk asked calmly once his vision cleared.

"Yes. We are searching for a scroll. The priestess Kaede sent us to you."

"What kind of scroll are you searching for?"

Although she was rather uncomfortable talking while she was still in water, Kagome took a deep breath, then explained to the monk about her world and how she got into this one. She expected the monk to think she was insane, but he just closed his eyes and nodded sagely.

"I see."

"Well, can you help her?" Inuyasha demanded rather than asked.

Miroku stood up. "Come with me back to the temple and I will find the scroll you are looking for."

Kagome squealed happily. "Thank you!"

"You could repay me, my lady."

Kagome's right eyebrow rose. "How?" she asked suspiciously.

The answer to her question had the monk sprawled out on the grass unconscious as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Inuyasha stood over him, seemingly waiting for him to get up again so that he could knock him unconscious again.

"Can you toss me my clothes then drag the pervert back to camp?" asked Kagome.

As Inuyasha was searching for her clothes and keeping a careful eye on the monk, Kagome looked down into the water to make sure she was still covered. For the second time that evening Kagome screamed.

In the water, staring up at her, were Kikyo… and Hojo.


	16. Kikyo and Kagome Speak

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Sixteen: Kikyo and Kagome Speak

October 28th

Kikyo stood in front of the mirror, blocking it from the wide-eyed Hojo. She thought she might have seen a little drool at the corner of his mouth. Peeking over her shoulder she saw that Kagome was now finally dressed, so she moved away from the mirror.

"Nice timing," Kagome complained as she sat at the edge of the bank and looked into the water, now completely covered.

Kikyo shrugged. "Now we are even. You caught me in a similar situation only three days ago if you remember."

"Sure, but you didn't have an audience!"

"Higurashi! It's true!"

Kagome turned her attention to Hojo. "Hi Hojo. I guess Kikyo already told you the whole story. You haven't told anyone have you?"

"No! Of course not! You can trust me." He didn't bother to hide his eagerness to please. What Kagome found interesting, however, was the look that Kikyo gave him out of the corner of her eye.

"Who is this wimp?" asked Inuyasha as he poked a claw at the reflection in the water. The images of Kikyo and Hojo distorted as the water rippled.

"He's a friend from school," she explained. "What are you doing in my bedroom?"

The young man blushed, but did not take his eyes off of his friend. "I have been tutoring Kikyo and helping with her homework. She is very smart and catches on quick. I don't think you will have to worry about failing grades when you return."

Kikyo blushed. Inuyasha scowled. Kagome wasn't sure what to think.

Hojo gasped as another demon's face appeared to the left of Kagome and appeared to be preparing to pounce.

"Look out!" he called as he pointed towards the approaching demon.

But it was too late. The demon pounced. Shippo landed on Kagome's shoulder and curiously peered into the water.

"This is Shippo. He's a fox demon. But he's also a friend."

"Who are they?" whispered Shippo.

"Remember how I told you I was from another world?" Shippo nodded. "The boy is from my world, we have been friends for many years. The girl is Kikyo, the one I traded places with."

"Your world is underwater?" Shippo was in awe.

Kagome giggled. "No, but it's a long story, I'll tell you tonight."

Kagome talked with Kikyo about how she liked school and if she was going to be going to the annual Halloween festival. They talked about the teachers and their classmates. Eventually her mother and brother showed up to say hi, and eventually Miroku made an appearance as well. Finally the image began to shimmer, and they knew that their time for visiting was over.

Kagome took Shippo and lead Miroku back to their camp. She didn't see Inuyasha scowl and slash at the water.

"Feh."


	17. Kikyo the Cat

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Seventeen: Kikyo the Cat

October 31

Every day Kikyo learned a little bit more about what it was like to be a teenager. Every day she discovered how much she truly enjoyed her new life. Her favorite thing of all was, of course, the banana split.

As she savored the taste of chocolate over slightly melted strawberry ice cream, she looked across at her companion. Hojo had taken her out to see her first movie the night before. It had been incredible! But now he sat across from her, silently eating his sundae. Suddenly she felt very awkward. It was an unusual feeling for her.

"Is something the matter?" she asked.

Looking slightly taken aback, Hojo shook his head. "No." When he didn't elaborate she turned her attention back to her frozen treat.

"The Halloween festival was always one of the things that Kagome would look forward to all year."

_Ah, so that was it. Kagome._ Kikyo pushed bitter feelings away.

"She enjoyed dressing up as someone she is not?"

Hojo nodded.

"Or as someone she wished she was?"

Hojo looked a little surprised, but nodded again. Then he smiled gently. "Every year I would ask her to the festival."

"You went together?" Kikyo tried to push the odd and unwelcome feelings away.

Hojo laughed. "In a matter of speaking. We would always go in a group. We rarely did things with just the two of us. We were only ever friends."

"You wish that it had been different?"

"At the time I did."

Kikyo swirled her ice cream around in her bowl. "And now?"

"Now I know that she was right. We were only ever friends. It is all we could have been, all we ever could be."

"How do you know?"

Hojo softly smiled. "I just know different now." He began eating his sundae again. "Did you need help with your cat costume for tonight?" he asked.

Kikyo's eyes lit up and she shook her head. "No, I finished last night. Mother and Souta helped me. It is not as elaborate as many of the costumes I have seen, but it is one I feel comfortable in. Perhaps next year I will be braver."

"Impossible. You are already the bravest person I know." Kikyo blushed and her eyes actually misted. She couldn't believe how quickly he could turn her feelings into mush with just a few words. "You and Kagome."

_Grrrrr._

The costume was very simple. Kikyo wore black form fitting pants and a black tank top. Her mother found long black evening gloves for her to wear. Her hair was braided and tucked under, and two fuzzy cat ears were pinned on. A black feather boa was cut in half and pinned to the waistband of her pants. She tied a red ribbon around her throat that had a silver bell attached. Her mother had painted her face, and her brother had bought whiskers that attached to the face with some type of adhesive.

Kikyo looked at herself in the mirror and smiled.

"I look like a cat demon." At that moment Kagome and Inuyasha appeared in the mirror. Inuyasha looked like he might have gone into shock, but Kagome squealed with joy and complimented her until Kikyo blushed.

It was difficult to keep hard feelings towards that girl.

Kikyo waited impatiently for Hojo to pick her up. They were going to walk together to the festival. The fluttering in her chest alarmed her. Her palms were sweating and she couldn't stop pacing her bedroom floor.

At last she saw him climbing up the steps of the shrine from her window. After checking her face in the mirror one more time, she dashed down the stairs.

"Have fun!" her mother called to her as she reached the door. "And don't forget a coat!"

Kikyo grinned when she saw Hojo dressed up as a pirate. The thought of sweet, gentle Hojo as a bloodthirsty pirate almost had her in giggles. She blushed when he smiled at her as he examined her costume.

"Your costume looks terrific, Kikyo."

Kikyo blushed some more. "I like yours too. But don't forget that you can't call me by my name in public."

"Yes, you are right. I apologize."

"Don't apologize. I… I like it when you call me by my real name." And it was true. _When he calls me Kikyo I know he isn't thinking I'm really Kagome._ She refused to speculate on whether this was because she was just happy that someone knew who she was, or if it was because Hojo was special.

The air was chilly, and Kikyo hugged herself to keep warm. She was glad she had followed her mother's advice and brought her coat. Her eyes opened wide as she felt a soft tug at her waist. Turning slightly she sees Hojo holding her cat tail.

"I didn't want it to drag on the ground," he explained at her questioning look.

She smiled at his thoughtfulness, her heart doing funny things in her chest. "Thank you."

All too soon Kikyo found herself at the festival. Though she loved the music and the companionship of Kagome's friends, she missed the time she got to spend with Hojo on the walk.

The beat of the music seemed to be in time with the beat of her heart as Kikyo danced. Her friends were there dancing as well. The festival was filled with music and lights and some of the most interesting costumes Kikyo couldn't even begin to imagine. It was beyond amazing. She thanked the fates that brought her to this world of Kagome's.

She smiled. Hojo was never far from her. Between songs they would get something to drink or eat. There were even games that they could play. Kikyo won a small stuffed kitten in a game of archery.

It was while pulling back the string on the bow that she realized that she no longer had any of her powers left. She was no longer a priestess. She expected to have a sense of loss for her powers, but she didn't. All she could feel was relief. Plus a little guilt.

The stars glittered in the sky as Hojo and Kikyo walked slowly back to her house.

"I want you to have this," Kikyo said as she handed him the stuffed kitten she won. "To remember this night by."

Hojo took the stuffed animal with a bow. "Thank you. But I doubt that I would need anything to remind me of this night." With a gentle smile he opened the door for her and waited until she was safely inside. Kikyo watched from the window as he walked away, the stuffed animal tucked safely in his jacket.

While taking off her makeup, Kikyo replayed the night in her head. The sights, sounds, and smells were incredible. She tried to memorize them all. But best of all was that last dance. It was the one dance she shared with Hojo. She closed her eyes and hoped she would remember every detail for the rest of her life.


	18. Demon Versus Demon Slayer

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Eighteen: Demon versus Demon Slayer

November 4th

"Are you sure the DEMON slayer village is REALLY the place we're supposed to go?" Kagome asked again as she looks nervously at Shippo and Inuyasha. _It's bad enough when regular villagers try to kill them…_

The monk sighs heavily and with slightly less patience than the last time he explained. "Yes, lady Kagome. In the demon slayer's village there is a cave where the scrolls we are seeking are hidden."

"WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHY WE HAVE TO TAKE THE STUPID LECHER WITH US?" bellows Inuyasha as the monk walks a bit too close to Kagome.

"Because I am the only one who is able to read the ancient scrolls."

Inuyasha growls and flexes his claws.

"And we really appreciate it Miroku. Thank you again."

Miroku smiles sweetly at her and leans in close. "If you wish to repay me…"

Inuyasha didn't let him finish the thought as he knocked the monk unconscious. "Mosquito," Inuyasha explained.

"Hmmm…." Kagome didn't believe him, of course, but would have knocked the monk unconscious herself if she could have. "Right. A mosquito." She didn't mention that there was no way a mosquito would be out in the cold weather like this. But, it was a good enough excuse for her.

She shivered. The days were growing colder. Yesterday she thought she saw a snowflake. Inuyasha and Shippo didn't seem to mind the temperature change, possibly because their demon blood kept them warm. In fact, they seemed to be enjoying it tremendously. Miroku was not complaining either, but who knew how many robes he was wearing. Maybe he was even sporting some thermal underwear under all that.

Inuyasha grabbed Miroku by the foot and began to drag him towards the village. Kagome was beginning to feel sorry for the guy as he was dragged along the rock filled road, but not quite sorry enough to put a stop to it. After a few yards Inuyasha stopped, dropped Miroku, and sniffed the air.

"Smoke." He sniffed again. "And blood." Kagome shivered again, but this time it had nothing to do with the cold.

Miroku woke and stood up. "The village has been attacked," he said calmly.

Kagome opened her arms up for Shippo to jump up into them, then she hugged him close. He was warm, and they were both trembling. He looked up at her with his expressive brown eyes.

"Scared or cold?"

"Both," admitted Kagome.

"Me too."

Kagome couldn't help but gasp when they came upon the village. She had only seen anything remotely similar from horror movies back home that she would watch from behind her fingers, and only when her friends forced her to go. There was blood everywhere. And body parts.

Falling to her knees in tears Kagome held Shippo tighter to her chest. She felt his tiny paw against her cheek, attempting to comfort her. She pulled his face towards her and held it so that he wouldn't see the area.

"What happened here?" Inuyasha asked no one in particular.

"A slaughter," answered Miroku.

Kagome continued to sob loudly, mourning the unnecessary loss of so much life. She thought for sure she was going to throw up. She rocked back and forth with Shippo trying to calm herself and the kit. Inuyasha moved towards Kagome and reached his hand out to her. But before he could reach her the group heard a war cry.

"Get away from her, demon!"

Kagome watched as a slim figure jumped high into the air, silhouetted by the sun. It was a woman, with some sort of weapon that looked like a giant boomerang. Kagome was in awe of the woman's grace and power.

"Wow…"

When the weapon narrowly missed the swearing Inuyasha's head, Kagome jumped to her feet. She rushed towards the woman.

"Wait! Please stop! Don't hurt him!"

The woman stopped and turned towards Kagome. Her eyes went from the girl's face to the little fox demon kit in her arms. She glanced towards the monk with his staff raised in defense stepping in front of the girl, then back towards the dog demon who had yet to make a physical attack. Verbal attack, yeah, but not physical.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief when the woman cautiously lowered her weapon.

"Hi, I'm Kagome. This is Shippo and Miroku. And that is Inuyasha. We're traveling together to find the sacred scrolls hidden in a cave in this village." Kagome's eyes clouded over. "We've just arrived, I'm sorry about the villagers."

"I am Sango. The people before you are my friends and family. Murdered by demons." She glared at Inuyasha.

"I am sorry for your loss, Sango. Please, if there is anything we can do…" Kagome left the offer open ended. She watched as the woman fought an internal battle, and let her breath out when her eyes told her she had come to a decision.

Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha spent the rest of the day digging graves and burying the dead. Shippo spent his time bringing water to each person in turn and tending to the wounded fire cat Kirara, Sango's companion who was wounded badly in battle. At twilight Miroku began to say prayers over the fallen villagers. As the prayers were said, Sango would lay down a small bouquet of flowers that Shippo and Kagome made for her.

The next day was spent very much the same. Digging graves, saying prayers, and laying down flowers. When the last bouquet was placed, the warrior woman allowed herself mourn.


	19. Sango Says Goodbye

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Nineteen: Sango Says Goodbye

November 7th

"I will take you to the caves and give you the scrolls you seek." The group nods quietly. "And if you allow me, I would like to follow you on your journey."

These people have spent the last few days helping me bury the ones I have spent my life loving. My neighbors, my cousins, and my father. They spent hours digging in the cold packed dirt so that they could have proper burials. Even the young kit worked hard, bringing water and finding flowers when few flowers would still be in bloom.

I watch as the dog demon inspects the young girl's hands and scolds her for her blisters. He takes such care of her, even though he tries to sound harsh. He fights with the kit, but never does him any real harm, regardless of the threats.

It is confusing. I spent my life learning to destroy demons, and here are two who seem completely devoted to a human girl. I have decided to follow them if they will allow it, to see where their journey takes them. I find her story of coming from another world strange and unlikely, though I can tell that she does not lie. And I would like to protect her if I can, from the dangers in our world.

Last night, after the others went to sleep, I finally allowed myself to cry. I can never forgive myself for not being here to fight beside them. If only I had been here. Perhaps I could have helped turn the tide of battle. At the very least, I could have died fighting beside my loved ones. Instead I came home to see Naraku leaving, and to find my family dead and dying. I can not forget my fathers face as he tells me about the attack. I can't forget the sound of his last breath.

I could not stop the sobs. It felt as if my heart was being torn out of my chest. I cried until I was sick. I was ashamed of my weakness. Ashamed of the tears. Ashamed that I was not strong enough. And I was ashamed of the fear in my heart. I'm alone.

The girl, Kagome, held me as my mother once did, comforting me. She has a big heart. We wept together until sleep claimed us.

The others wait just ahead while I take one more look backwards towards my village. It is hard to say farewell to my home. I lived my whole life here, right here in this house. The room Kagome and I spent the night in was my room since I was born. I spent my childhood in this room, dreaming and practicing. It was home, and I was safe here. My family was here, and I was loved.

I will find the demon Naraku who brought the demons to my home, and I will kill him. I will avenge my family.

Then I will come home. And I will rebuild. Father would have wanted that. I can not allow his legacy die.

Good-bye. I will return soon. I promise.


	20. Scroll Hunting

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twenty: Scroll Hunting

November 16th

"I did it!" Kikyo yelled as she held up her graded math test triumphantly. "I passed!"

Kikyo hugged her paper to her chest and did a pirouette in the middle of the hallway. She no longer wondered if it was something that Kagome would or wouldn't do. If she felt the slightest inclination of expressing her feelings, especially the ones of happiness and joy, she would do it. That was the best way for her to respond like Kagome. And now, she was beginning to notice, it was feeling natural.

Hojo took the paper from her and grinned. "Better than that, you got an A! I knew you could do it, Ki!"

'Ki' was the name that Hojo now called her. It was unintentional to begin with. He would start to call her Kikyo then stop himself. No one thought anything strange of it, except for the fact that he had a nickname for her instead of calling her by her last name. Now Kikyo was stuck with the shortened name, and she liked it. It was her name, in a fashion, and not Kagome's.

After the celebratory stop off at the ice cream shop, like she ever REALLY needed a reason for ice cream, Kikyo and Hojo headed back to the shrine. As usual, the topic of Kagome came up.

"They found the scrolls?" Hojo asked.

"Yes, though they have not had a chance yet to go through them. The battle left them rather wounded. The monk, Miroku, was able to con an innkeeper into letting them stay for free by claiming he would cleanse the inn of demons."

Hojo rolled his eyes. This was not the first time the monk had used that excuse to find a room for free. "They always fall for that line…."

Kikyo chuckled, "Yes they do."

"Was Kagome injured?"

Kikyo sighed heavily and tried to not sound impatient. "Her leg was wounded, but it was nothing serious. Inuyasha, however, will not allow her to walk anywhere on her own. She will heal quickly I think."

"And the others?"

"The demon slayer, Sango, went away with a few scratches and a slight concussion. Miroku breathed in some poison, but seems to be recovering nicely. Inuyasha and the fire cat Kirara had the worst wounds, but being demons healed quickly. Young Shippo didn't get a scratch. I suspect he was safely with Kagome, who is always heavily protected by Inuyasha."

Kikyo turned to see Hojo staring at the shrine. "You said she holds the Shikon jewel."

"Yes…."

"And your family… I mean, her family, sells replicas of Shikon jewels. I wonder if the two are related in any way."

"It is possible."

Hojo turned to Kikyo. "Do you suppose that Kagome's grandfather would have books or scrolls about the Shikon jewel?"

"He might."

"We could help Kagome by researching the jewel and a way home from our end!"

Kikyo was less than thrilled about the prospect of going home. Even thinking about leaving made her heart heavy. But Hojo's enthusiasm was contagious, and she found herself calling out for her grandfather when they reached the shrine.

Two and a half hours later, sitting among a pile of dusty scrolls, the enthusiasm was slightly dampened.

The legend of the Shikon jewel was easy to find, at least the abbreviated one. Souvenir scrolls were given with each jewel sold that told of the power of wishes by a pure heart being granted. Finding information on the actual workings of the jewel was a little more difficult to come by.

"Arg!" Kikyo cried as she tossed the scroll she was looking at in frustration. "This is impossible! Why does he have so many scrolls?" She fell back onto the floor and glared at the ceiling. Then she giggled.

Hojo peered down at her, slightly confused. "Which part of that was the funny part, Ki?"

With a grin she replied, "It just feels good."

"What does?"

"Feeling frustrated."

Still confused, Hojo waited for an explanation.

Kikyo put her hands behind her head to cushion it as she lay on the wooden floor. "Imagine being denied emotions your entire life. You are not allowed to feel anger, or love, or sorrow, or even frustration. Then imagine being free to feel these emotions. Even feeling frustrated feels good." She grinned up at her friend.

Hojo smiled and lay down beside her, hands under his head. "I see what you mean." He turned to her and asked in mock seriousness, "Do you want me to make you mad so you can feel that too?"

Kikyo laughed and picked up a nearby dusty scroll to bop him on the head. Hojo dodged the blow and made a grab for the scroll. He held on to Kikyo's wrist and she dropped the scroll. It fell open. And sure enough, the first word Kikyo sees is 'Shikon'.

Quickly she grabs the scroll and begins reading. "The jewel of the four souls, the Shikon jewel, was created by the priestess Midriko…"

Hojo looks over her shoulder.

"You did it!" he cries. "You found the scroll!" He grabbed a hold of her hands and spun her around.

Kikyo's heart sank. She found it.


	21. A Monk’s Duty

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twenty-One: A Monk's Duty

November 27th

Miroku let out a cry as he threw the paper demon ward, swung his staff, killing the demon in front of him. Quickly he leapt over the corpse and took his place at Sango's back to protect her blind side. He took note of everyone's positions as he readied himself for the next wave. His breath came in icy puffs in front of him. There was no time to think about the cold beginnings of winter.

Directly in front of him was Kirara who was intent on incinerating every demon who dared threaten her friends. Miroku was glad that she was on their side.

Inuyasha was in the middle of the battle, fighting the giant centipede demon, steadily slicing it into ribbons. The dog demon was in a particular blood thirsty mood since the centipede managed to whip its tail around and stab young Kagome in the stomach. Luckily, Miroku thanked Buddha, the girl was not fatally injured. He was sure the hanyou would have gone insane and murdered everyone in sight if the had girl died. In all his years, the monk had never seen such devotion to a human from a demon.

Well, he corrected himself, there is always the devotion of the fox kit that rivaled Inuyasha's. Shippo clearly thought of Kagome as his mother. It was a rare occasion that the russet little ball of fur was far from her side. Today is no exception. Even though he is still a child, he stands bravely by her side (occasionally on her shoulder), yelling 'fox fire' and using his powers of illusion to throw off the demons.

Miroku glanced at the wounded girl and smiled. Her aim with the bow and arrow had been improving every day. In this battle she was able to take down three demons on her own, and wounded several more. She wasn't letting a little thing like a hole in the stomach keep her from fighting.

Though none, Miroku thought fondly, were as brave or as beautiful as the woman behind him. Sango. She took down almost as many demons as Inuyasha. She was fierce and brave. Though she had only been traveling with them a short time, it seemed like she had always been a part of their group. It was like they were meant to be together. An odd little family of sorts, two full demons, three humans, and a hanyou, but a family.

"Ready yourself, monk!" Sango warned as she held up the bone boomerang for yet another throw.

Miroku took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his staff. A flood of demons was rapidly approaching. _This is going to be a long day_, Miroku thought to himself.

It was not difficult hearing where Inuyasha was since his battle cries were loud and often. However, Miroku lost sight of Kagome and Shippo quickly. His only clue that they were still alive was the occasional flash of fox fire he would see from the corner of his eye. There were too many foes to be distracted. It was all he could do to keep the demons off of Sango and himself.

Naturally, at the end of the battle, there were two demons, three humans, and a hanyou left standing. Miroku never doubted the group for a moment. They worked well together. Inuyasha always charged in aggressively, taking down foes quickly. Kirara would fight from the sky, sometimes with Sango, sometimes alone. Usually Sango and Miroku fought together. She would slay demons while Miroku kept her safe. Kagome and Shippo would fight from the perimeter. Today's fight was a little different.

"What was that thing you did with the light?" Inuyasha asked gruffly as he forced Kagome to sit so he could inspect her wound. She only fought him for a moment as he lifted her shirt to inspect her stomach. Miroku flinched at the sight of so much blood.

"I don't know," the girl replied. "I just knew I had to protect Shippo… and I started glowing, like what happens with the arrows when I shoot them. I felt this power… I don't know how to explain it… and I just concentrated on surrounding us with that power. It felt warm and right. It just kinda… happened."

"Your priestess powers are growing," Miroku told her, trying to not look at the hanyou desperately trying to staunch the flow of blood, "Considering that you have had no training, it is quite remarkable."

Miroku watched as the girl tried to smile, but the loss of blood had made her weak, her lips were tinged with blue. His heart lurched in his chest as she tried to console the young kit as he cried for her. The wound was worse than he thought. Miroku felt guilty and ashamed. The glare he was receiving from Inuyasha confirmed that the dog demon was holding him personally responsible for the pain of the girl. It was made clear in every battle they fought that the girl's life was to be protected at all costs. He knew his life would soon be over if the girl were to die.

He bent down and brushed the hair out of Kagome's eyes, trying to decide if he should apologize or pay his last respects. He could hear Inuyasha growling, and made certain that he kept his hands in appropriate places.

Just as he opened his mouth, Kagome opened her smoky gray eyes. "It's not your fault, Miroku… stop looking so guilty."

"I should have been protecting you…"

The girl gave a little chuckle and a smile as she let Inuyasha lay her down onto the grass. "You can't… be everywhere…at once, Miroku. We all did our best. No regrets…"

Miroku grew concerned as her breathing was more labored. Her eyes lost their sparkle and her body went limp. Shippo wailed, Inuyasha froze, Kirara howled, Sango sobbed, and Miroku trembled. He wanted to mourn the loss of his friend. She had been so kind to him, to all of them. She had made them feel welcome and loved, she was the one who made them a family. But he would have to wait to indulge in his own feelings of loss. He knew that he had a monk's duty to do.

"We will not forget you, lady Kagome." Miroku closed his eyes in prayer and began to prepare for his duty to help her spirit along its path to the afterworld and for a proper burial. But when he opened his mouth to begin the chant, he was bonked rather harshly on the head.

"She isn't dead, idiot!" Inuyasha yelled as he gathered the girl protectively in his arms. "I can still hear her heart beating." The tremor in the dog demon's voice and the fear in his eyes let Miroku know that though Kagome was still alive, she was not far from death, and the hanyou was terrified.

"How close are we to a village?" Sango asked, her voice once again strong.

"I'm taking her to Kaede. Come on Shippo." The fox child jumped on Inuyasha's shoulder and the three soon disappeared into the trees.

The dog demon actually INVITED the fox demon along. That had never happened before. Miroku and Sango looked at each other, perplexed.

"Who is Kaede?" Sango asked finally.

Miroku almost laughed. "She is a priestess and healer. She is the sister of Kikyo, the young woman who Kagome somehow traded places with."

"Do you know where her village is, monk?"

Miroku smiled calmly. "Not a clue."

"Kirara!" Sango called for her companion. "Follow Inuyasha!"

Sango hopped on the fire cat's back and helped Miroku on. He made sure the scrolls they had fought so hard for were still tucked away in the pack that Kagome usually wore, then placed it securely between his body and Sango's. It gave him the perfect excuse to hold on to her… to keep the scrolls safe of course!

"Do you think you can read the scrolls, monk?"

"It may take some time, lady Sango, but I believe that I shall be able to decipher them. Perhaps you would care to join me."

He could feel her body tense. He knew that he practically purred out the last sentence, but he just couldn't help it. There was something about the woman that brought out the playfulness in him. Even though she would whack him with her weapon, occasionally knocking him out, Miroku couldn't help teasing her.

It was a widely known fact that the monk had an appreciation of the female body. In fact, several of his concussions came from angry husbands, boyfriends, and of course, the hanyou. But since meeting Sango, there has been no desire for any other woman. Quite frankly, it was beginning to worry him.

During the three hour ride to Kaede's village, Miroku had only been slapped twice, which wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was less than once an hour. He wondered if it was some kind of record.

It was easy to find which hut belonged to the priestess Kaede. All they had to do was follow the path of destruction. Obviously Inuyasha was in too much of a hurry to go around or over things, slicing through them must have been a fraction of a second or two quicker. _Or maybe he needed to vent his anger and frustrations._ Miroku hoped that no living things had gotten in his way.

"How is Kagome?" Sango asked an elderly woman leaving the hut, quickly leaping off of the fire cat.

"Who are ye?"

"I am Miroku. This is Sango and Kirara. We are friends of Kagome." The monk introduced the slightly frantic group. He was impressed that Sango managed to not knock down the grey haired woman in an effort to get to her friend.

"It would be wise to let the young girl rest. You may see her in the morning."

Miroku was more than a little worried for the priestess's life. Not Kagome's… but the priestess keeping Sango from Kagome. He watched with calm interest as her eyes fired and her body tensed for battle. He could almost see the internal battle she was waging.

Slowly Sango closed her eyes and began to relax her body and loosen her grip on her weapon. When she opened her eyes she was under control and slightly more reasonable.

Kaede smiled warmly at the demon slayer. "Help me with the herbs I need for your young friend, Sango, while Miroku fetches us more water. It is going to be a long night for us all."

Miroku spent the rest of the day fetching water, stoking the fire, and running more little errands than he thought possible. They were brainless activities, meant to keep him busy. Occasionally he would peek in on Kagome, only to see Inuyasha and Shippo glued to her side, watching and waiting. Although he prayed for Kagome, he would say prayers for the two demons who care so much for her. What would become of them if she did not survive this?

And, of course, he prayed for Sango. She worked furiously at every task she was given. She was a woman possessed. Sango had quickly grown attached to Kagome. They had become friends in moments and sisters in just days. The slayer had lost so many people that she loved so recently, that Miroku was sure that losing one more so soon would devastate her.

Then he prayed for himself. He hadn't realized just how fond of the girl he had become, or how much he cherished his new family. Could he go back to the lonely life he had before they found him?

Together they worked. And they waited.

OoOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Notes: Thanks for your reviews and your suggestions! And thanks to my cat for the rewrites he helped me with… evidently he felt sections needed to be deleted and re-written…


	22. Shippo’s Lullaby

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twenty-Two: Shippo's Lullaby

December 3rd

The weather has turned much colder. We had to stop the search for Kanna's mirror for the day. Inuyasha didn't complain as usual when we asked to stop. Maybe he's cold too. All I know is that I'm FREEZING! I don't know why we couldn't wait until spring to search for the stupid mirror.

Stupid Inuyasha. Doesn't he know that when we find the mirror Kagome will leave us? Of course he does, he's the one who told me!

I don't want Kagome to leave. I love her! I know she loves me too, I don't know why she wants to leave us. I don't want to be alone! I want to whimper and cry. What the heck, I'll whimper. That always wakes her up.

Whimper whimper.

"Shippo?" Her voice is heavy and groggy. She's not quite awake yet. Time to bring out the big guns.

Sniffle sniffle.

"Shippo, sweetie… are you ok?" Yup, the tears woke her up. It works every time. I can hear Inuyasha snorting rudely in the tree above us. I ignore him. Moron.

As pathetically as possible I say, "I had a nightmare." That much was true. I've been having nightmares every since Inuyasha told me WHY we are searching for the mirror. They have been getting worse the closer we get to finding it.

Kagome sits up and pulls me into her arms. She wraps our blanket around us and leans against the tree Inuyasha is sleeping in.

"Tell me about your dream."

"I was alone." I didn't have to fake the tears on that one. I'm terrified of being alone. I don't remember my own mother at all. My father took care of me by himself for as long as I can remember. When he was killed I realized I was all alone. He was the only family I had. No brothers or sisters or aunts or uncles. No grandparents or cousins or anything. Just me and my dad.

And then it was just me.

Then came Kagome. She scooped me up in her arms and protected me using her own body as a shield. She held me and coddled me. Yes, she spoiled me rotten. I know that. And don't think for one minute that I don't love every second of it.

I loved my dad, I really did, but he was never big on lovey dovey stuff. He was tough on me, wanting me to be a strong demon when I got older. But I know that he cared, I could tell by the way he watched me carefully, always ready to pull me out of danger if there was anything I couldn't handle. He was kind of like Inuyasha. Don't tell that stupid dog I said that though, I'll deny it.

"Sing me a song?" I give her the big tearful baby eyes. She can never resist them. I should probably feel bad about pulling her strings like this, but hey… it works!

"Now?"

"Pleeeeease?"

With a sigh she pulls me closer and begins rocking back and forth slowly. I'm not sure she knows she rocks me whenever she sings me a lullaby. Must be her Mama Instinctkicking in. Everyone is asleep, so I don't mind being treated like a baby. Well, Inuyasha is still awake. I saw his ear twitch in our direction. He may grumble about her singing, which when we are walking usually makes her sing louder and sometimes more off key, but he is always listening.

Her voice is soft and low, trying to keep quiet so only I could hear her. She's singing about love again, one of her favorite topics for stories and songs. I don't know if she knows that Inuyasha is listening too. I don't tell her because I don't want her to stop. She gets embarrassed way too easy. I gotta admit that sometimes it's fun to manipulate Kagome and Inuyasha into fights, they are a hoot to watch.

But not tonight.

Tonight I just want to be babied. Tonight it seems too real that she might actually leave us… leave ME. I don't want her to. I don't CARE if it is selfish. I want her to stay.

Kagome sings softer and starts stroking my hair. I look up and see that her eyes are looking into the distance at the stars. I think she's trying not to cry too. I don't think she wants to leave me either. I wonder if there is a way I can convince her to stay. What's so great about that world of hers anyhow?

"Do you love me?"

Kagome stops singing and looks down at me and smiles. She hugs me and rubs her nose against mine.

"Yes Shippo, I love you very much."

"Will you love me forever?"

"I will love you forever… and then some. No matter where I go or what happens, I will always hold you close in my heart."

Inuyasha is going to kill me for making Kagome cry. But I needed to hear it. I needed to know that she really does love me. She holds me like her heart is breaking. So I do the only thing I can do… I cry with her.

The sobs turn into sniffles and eventually she gives a little smile.

"You never know what the future brings," she says to me. "We have to cherish the moments we have."

"One more song?"

She laughs. I knew she would. It was super late, well, early depending on how you look at it. I don't think either one of us would have the energy for a whole story or even her shortest song.

"How about I just hum a bit while we lay down."

I grin at the compromise, then snuggle down next to her as go to sleep.


	23. Mistletoe

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twenty-Three: Mistletoe

December 10th

The last box was carefully set in the living room. Kikyo had been looking through the boxes with wonder. The decorations were beautiful. There were glass balls, cloth angels, little ceramic figures, tinsel, bows, and wrapping paper of silver and gold.

On the first of December they had put up the tree, one of the family traditions. At first it was a little awkward. Kikyo felt out of place and felt even guiltier that she was stealing Kagome's life. The guilt would have consumed her if it hadn't been for her mother's constant smile and her brother's endless enthusiasm.

Kagome had been a little sad when she saw the girl last in the mirror. Kikyo knew that she had probably said too much about how much she was enjoying decorating the trees and about the cookies they were going to bake later that week.

_It's not my fault… I didn't ask for her life._ Kikyo bit her bottom lip. She did not want to listen to the little voice inside her head that called her a liar.

"Even if I did, I did not think it would really happen."

"Think what would happen?" asked her mother as she entered the living room carrying a box filled to the brim with garland and ribbon.

Kikyo blushed and looked down at her clasped hands. Suddenly she felt very ashamed. "I did not mean to do it," she said softly.

Her mother put down the box and pulled Kikyo in for a hug. She smoothed her hair gently. "I know you didn't." She gave her a quick squeeze then pushed her adopted daughter to arms length.

"We have a guest!" She announced then merrily called the person in from the kitchen to the living room.

Kikyo smiled when she saw Hojo bashfully enter the room carrying a colorful tin.

"I brought some fudge."

Her mother took the tin and patted the young man on the cheek. "How wonderful! Thank you. Now why don't you and Kikyo finish hanging up the decorations while I make some hot cocoa and dish out some of this fudge. Do you want marshmallows?"

"Yes!" Kikyo and Hojo answered in unison, then grinned at each other.

Kikyo turned her attention to the box her mother brought in and began digging through it, pulling out the green garland and setting the ribbon off to the side. Together she and Hojo hung the greenery across the doorway. They laughed when it fell the first two times, and cheered when it finally stayed in place.

When it was finished her mother came back in the room with the hot drinks and sugary treat. She praised their hanging job then excused herself to start preparing for dinner. Kikyo and Hojo drank hot cocoa and ate the fudge he had brought.

Eventually most of the box was emptied. All that was left was a small sprig of leaves tied together with a little red ribbon.

"What's this?" she asked. "It's too small to be a decoration." She began examining the other green leafy decorations. "Did it fall off of something?"

Hojo's cheeks turned a nice shade of red. "Umm… that's mistletoe."

Kikyo turned a confused gaze towards him as she held the little plant. "Mistletoe? Isnt' that a poisonous plant?"

"Yes, but it is a Christmas tradition to hang mistletoe in doorways."

Kikyo smiled. She was enjoying the traditions so far. Of course, she had no idea why anyone would want to hang this poisonous little piece of plant in a doorway, but so far everything else seemed to work out nicely, maybe she just wasn't giving the silly little thing a chance.

"Let's hang it!"

She wasn't sure why Hojo was turning red. At first she thought that maybe the room was too warm, but then realized that he embarrassed about something. _What could he possibly be embarrassed about?_ She replayed in her head things he had said and done in the past few minutes, but couldn't think of anything to be embarrassed about.

The mistletoe was hung. Kikyo stood underneath it and looked up. It didn't look all that special to her.

Then it happened.

He kissed her.

It was a light kiss. She barely felt his lips brush against hers. And it was over so fast she almost thought she imagined it. But he had kissed her.

She raised her fingers to her mouth when he backed away, still sporting his blush. She could swear that she could still feel his lips. Her mouth opened slightly, wanting to ask the question, but not sure how to phrase it, or even how to get her voice to work anymore. It was her first kiss!

"It's a tradition," he explained, "to kiss the person you are under the mistletoe with."

Kikyo looked up at the little plant above her head and suddenly it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

_I love this life!_


	24. Christmas Eve

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twenty-Four: Christmas Eve

December 24th

Inuyasha glared at the monk, wishing that he could sharpen his claws on him. The lecher had been stealing Kagome away from him every day for weeks now. Sometimes for even an hour at a time! _And Kagome, the idiot, goes with him. What in the world is she thinking! I thought she was smarter than that!_ His loud snarling drew curious glances from Sango and Shippo, but he ignored them.

_They are hiding something._ They would talk quietly to each other, then change their conversation if he got too near. Sometimes they would draw pictures in the dirt like she would do with Shippo when they got the chance to stop for awhile. Every so often she would steal a glance towards Inuyasha, he noticed every single glance. He would growl every time she would quickly look away.

Inuyasha was beginning to boil in anger. He wasn't sure if he wanted to shake Kagome for her foolishness for choosing a lecherous monk, or if he wanted to tear the monk into a million unidentifiable pieces. He was leaning towards the tearing option…. it was much more satisfying.

As he carefully, and somewhat disturbingly, plotted the demise of Miroku, Kagome surprised him by sitting next to him with a bright smile on her face.

"What do you want, wench?"

Her smile disappeared, but only for a moment. But then it was back, a little smaller than before, but still there.

"It's Christmas Eve, Inuyasha."

"So?"

Inuyasha peeked at her as she watched the kit play with the fire cat at the camp. They were playing with the decorations of yet another tree that Kagome insisted they decorate. All month she had the group decorating trees where they camped. Of course Inuyasha complained loudly and would not participate, but he still liked to watch. Decorating the trees made her happy. Really happy. He wondered at her sanity at times, no one should be THAT happy. Maybe the cold weather was causing some sort of dementia.

He allowed himself a small smile as he thought about her odd behavior all month. She would sing and laugh for no good reason and it was infectious.

"On Christmas Eve we would sing Christmas carols and drink hot cocoa. Souta and I would string popcorn and hang it on the tree. Papa would read us a Christmas story, then tuck us into bed. Souta and I would sneak out spy on them."

Kagome gave a soft laugh. Inuyasha paid attention to the sheen in her eyes. _Don't cry don't cry don't cry_, he chanted silently, a little worried that her insane happiness suddenly turned into saddness. She turned her head so that her face was hidden from his view. But Inuyasha saw the tear trickle down her cheek.

"That was when Papa was still alive."

She wiped her eyes then looked back at Shippo and Kirara.

"Mama and Papa would stay up late, and that's when they would give each other their special presents. We were supposed to be asleep, but who could be expected to sleep on Christmas Eve?"

Kagome gazed sadly into the fire. Inuyasha knew she was remembering those precious, and far too few memories.

"What kind of things did they give each other?" Not that he was interested of course… he just wanted her back to being happy. It made his chest feel funny when she was sad, and it was a feeling he hated.

Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat at the smile she gave him. It was warm and soft, full of love. Sure, it was love for her family, but still…. a hanyou can dream…

"Little things," she explained, "Things that let the other know that they are the most special person in the world to them. Sometimes they were expensive, sometimes they were things that reminded each other about certain memories, sometimes… sometimes it was special things that they made. Once Papa made Mama a doll out of colorful paper, it was Mama's favorite present ever. It was the last thing he made for her."

Inuyasha watched as she stood up quickly and called to Shippo. She scooped him up, swung him around then hugged him tight, then sat back down next to Inuyasha. She held Shippo as she told him a story about the night before Christmas. It was a strange story about a large man who snuck into the family's home and left gifts, then being flown away by a small herd of some sort of deer demons with the power of flight.

When it was over she hugged Shippo and sang a song about silver and gold, stealing amused glances at Inuyasha's hair and eyes, and put the fox kit to bed.

One by one their little group fell asleep. Inuyasha watched as Shippo fell asleep first. Miroku was next to fall asleep. Sango would never fall asleep before the overly amorous monk. Afterwards she and Kirara closed their eyes and slept. Inuyasha stayed alert as he waited for Kagome to finally settle down. He sprawled out on his tree branch above the group and watched out of the corner of his eye.

Kagome was picking through her overly large bag, throwing looks over at her sleeping friends. She pulled out four items and went over to the decorated tree, placing them underneath. She was looking so proud of herself that Inuyasha had to jump down and inspect them to see what the big deal was.

The items were wrapped in cloth with ribbons tied around them with leaves and berries decorating the top.

"Presents?" asked Inuyasha.

Kagome nodded. "This one is for Sango," she whispered. "It's a pretty comb for her hair. Remember when I ran that weird errand for a lady a couple weeks ago? You know, the one where I had to dress up as a boy and pretend to be courting her to make the guy she liked jealous? Well, she gave me this hair comb as a thank you. Last week I found someone who could dress it up a little and make it pretty."

"The goldsmith with the little demon…"

"…child," Kagome corrected.

"…who refused to leave the burning hut without her cat?"

Kagome smiled. "That's the one!"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, glared at her, and snarled ferociously. "If you EVER go into a burning building again I will break both of your legs."

She waved his threat away and pointed to another present. "That one is for Miroku. It's a journal, a book of blank pages for him to fill up."

"How did you get…"

Kagome grinned. "Remember when I was asked to watch all those kids a few villages ago when all the women disappeared and you and the others had to go rescue them? Well, this was a payment for watching the kids."

"I remember. There were about a dozen of them. Did you mean it when you said you never wanted a child?" Inuyasha asked.

"Nah. At the time I might have thought that way. But you would too if you had been driven almost to the point of insanity by a bunch of screaming kids! But one day I'd like to have kids of my own."

"How many?"

"Hmmm… maybe one. Or two. I just don't think I could handle more than that. I don't think I could have more kids than I have hands to hold them."

Inuyasha looked at the two presents left. He knew one was for Shippo.

"This is Shippo's." Kagome lovingly touched the largest of the presents. "I made him some new clothes and his very own pillow."

"Another favor for the cloth?"

Kagome laughed. "Yup, you guessed it."

"Must've been the chicken round up incident," he murmured absent-mindedly as he nudged the last remaining present curiously.

"The chicken incident also got me a brush for Kirara. That's her present there."

Inuyasha's jaw dropped. The last gift was for the fire cat. THE FIRE CAT! Which left no present for him!

"Keh," he grumped, "Presents are stupid. Christmas is stupid." And he bounded away.

_She didn't get me anything. Nothing!_ His claws dug into the tree he was perched on. _I thought she cared about me! She gave a gift to Miroku and not ME!_ Inuyasha glared at the sleeping monk and thought up new ways to torture him before killing him.

When Kagome began climbing the tree he was in he completely ignored her. Usually he would offer her a hand up or even drop down and carry her up. _Let her fall._

Kagome slipped and his hand shot out without his permission and caught her. As she dangled in the air she looked up at him and gave a smile. _I could drop her. I could let her go and she would fall. Maybe break her legs or an arm or something. I'll just let her go._ Inuyasha sighed and tightened his grip.

_Liar._

He pulled her up. Once she was safely beside him he began to ignore her again.

"I thought you might want to open your present tonight," she whispered.

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open. He watched with wide eyes and a jaw dropped open as she handed him a bundle wrapped in red cloth, tied with a white ribbon. At first all he did was hold it, touching the delicate looking ribbon. Then he looked at Kagome.

She was smiling.

Inuyasha thought back to what she had been saying about the presents opened on Christmas Eve by her parents. They were the special ones. Gifts between mates while their pack slept.

"Open it," Kagome encouraged as she nudged him. Her eyes were bright with excitement. As he pulled the ribbon gently he saw her bite her lip.

_She's worried._

Curiously he watched the ribbon fall away and the cloth begin to fall. Carefully he peeled back the material and pulled out a string of beads and fangs. He looked at Kagome again.

"I found the pearls when we went to the beach before we met Miroku." She was nervously playing with the red fabric. "We played that game, marbles, with the few that we found. It was the first game I got you to play with me. Remember how I was spending so much time in the water those three days?"

"I yelled at you…"

Kagome waved his words away again. "I was lucky I found so many. I didn't know what I was going to do with them at the time. But I thought they were beautiful. The fangs are from some of the demons we fought together. I didn't pull them out, of course, you had already knocked them out. I wasn't sure why I kept them, but I did."

She pointed to a fang. "See this one? That's the first demon we fought together. This one is the one from when we found Shippo." One by one she went through the fangs of the battles they fought and won. "I asked Miroku about that rosary he wears on his hand, the family memento. He showed me how to make the holes in the pearls and fangs and how to string them."

It clicked in his head. "That's why you spent so much time with the letch."

Kagome nodded.

Inuyasha looked at the rosary in his hands. She had made this for him. _The time she spent with Miroku was to make ME a gift._ He grinned. _She DOES like me better! That stupid pervert didn't get the special Christmas Eve gift, I did!_

He watched as her smile grew bigger and brighter as he slowly lifted the rosary. Then he put it in her hands and her face fell. He could almost smell the tears about to flood down her face.

"Put it on me."

She blinked a couple of times, holding the rosary.

"Put it on me," he repeated.

With a nervous giggle she lifted the beads slowly and put them over his head. She pulled his silvery mane out from underneath, then arranged the necklace under the first layer of his robe.

"What did you do that for?" Inuyasha asked.

"Do what?"

"Hide it. Are you embarrassed you gave it to me or something?" He narrowed his eyes and pulled the rosary out to lay it on the outside of his clothes.

"Don't be stupid! Of course I'm not embarrassed! I just thought you might be… that you wouldn't want them to….dang it, I thought YOU would be embarrassed."

"Keh."

Kagome reached out and touched the beads around his neck. Inuyasha's hand covered hers and held it to his chest.

"Thank you."

"Merry Christmas, Inuyasha."

"Keh."

Inuyasha watched as his friend climbed down the tree and took her place next to Shippo. As she fell asleep, he held on to his new rosary. He knew that the only way it was ever coming off was if she took it off.

"Merry Christmas," he whispered.


	25. The Challenge of the Wolf

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Challenge of the Wolf

January 12th

The bear demon missed me by a breath. I didn't have a chance to even draw my bow! Sometimes I think that the only way I'm going to kill a demon is if he happens to choke on me while swallowing.

"Aren't bears supposed to hibernate in the winter?" I'm not really expecting an answer.

"It's a bear DEMON, wench!" At least he didn't call me the other name yet today. I'm beginning to think that the b-word is my nickname. Sango says he uses it because he's a dog demon and he thinks of us as his pack. When I ask why he doesn't call her that she chuckles and gives a look to Miroku and they have a good laugh. Grrrrr.

When was the last time he used my name?

I shake my head. Letting my mind wander during battle is a good way to get killed. I may joke about demons choking on my bones, but I'd really rather that not happen.

So, back to the bear demons. Not only are bear demons big, but they are pretty darn quick too. You wouldn't think something that big could be that fast. The one that attacked me is already dead, courtesy of my favorite dog demon. Things that attack me generally don't have a very long life span.

So that leaves four more bear demons to go. Oops, make that three. Sango and Miroku just finished that one off. They really do make a good team. If only he could control his wandering hands…

I reach for my arrows. I'm not completely useless you know. I pull back an arrow and concentrate. I can feel my body growing warm. My eyes are closed, so I can't see the pink glow, but I know it's there. I open my eyes, find my target, and fire.

Ha! Right on the mark! Kagome the Queen of Archery strikes again! Ok, the miko power thing really helps out too. Thanks Kikyo!

The bear demon actually turns to dust. The only bad thing about it is that it really drains me of energy and I have to fight just to keep awake. I've used so much energy these past few days fighting off demons that I'm almost too worried about never waking up again to close my eyes and go to sleep.

The closer we get to Kanna and the mirror, the more demons we face.

I would love to say that I finished off the remaining demons, but that would just be a great big ol' lie. I sank to the ground, not even enough energy to blink. I heard Inuyasha and Shippo scream my name from across the clearing. I turn my head to see another bear demon behind me that we must have missed.

Looks like I'm going to have to rely on my bones to choke this one after all.

A blur of brown appears and suddenly I'm sitting on my rump on the other side of the battlefield. I wondered briefly if teleportation was a new power of mine. It wouldn't surprise me these days. Then I saw him. The wolf demon. What was his name again? Oh yeah, Kouga.

"Thanks Kouga!" I call and give him a friendly wave.

He turns around and gives me a toothy grin. He says something before turning to join the battle. I'm not sure what it was, too noisy.

I had almost forgotten about him. So this makes the second time he's saved me. Too bad he didn't bring my bow and arrows with me. Now I'm stuck on the sidelines again. I haven't figured out how to use my powers yet without the arrows to focus it on, so now I'm pretty much useless. Sure I put up a barrier here and there, but I can't really use it on them during a battle or our attacks can't go through either.

But before I could make a mad dash for my quiver and my bow, the battle was over. Sango and Miroku had taken down another bear demon, Kouga killed one, and Inuyasha killed the other two. Shippo was back in my lap.

"You did a great job of distracting the demons with your foxfire magic. And don't think that I didn't see that awesome protective shield you put around Inuyasha. I'm proud of you. All that hard work has really been paying off!" I brushed his hair out of is eyes. He puffed up his chest proudly.

I'm not just saying it to make him feel good either. Shippo really did do a great job of casting illusions that threw the demons off. And the barrier he had been working on actually worked this time. I don't know if the team knows what a great asset he is.

I think Inuyasha knows. And I think that's why he's a little rough on him. It would be awfully easy for the little guy to get too big of a head. Even though it is important for him to be confident in his abilities, it would be very dangerous for Shippo to be overconfident. He is still a small demon, and better at the defensive than offensive maneuvers. I don't even want to think of what would happen if he took on a strong demon alone. Although I don't like it when they argue, I gotta admit that Inuyasha is doing a good job of training him. Too bad Shippo doesn't see it.

I know I shouldn't coddle him. Really, I do know it. He's a demon and he needs to learn to be a demon… but I just can't help it! He turns those eyes on me and all my maternal instincts start screaming at me.

The sound of cursing suddenly fills the air and I cover Shippo's ears… or try to at least. I look up and see Kouga and Inuyasha looking like they are going to have a brawl. I jump up and stand between them. The last thing we need is unnecessary bloodshed… especially among allies.

"What's going on?"

Before I let one more word come out of my mouth, Kouga has grabbed my hands and pulled me close. He looks intensely into my eyes. Those are the bluest eyes I have ever seen. Ever!

"I have come to take you home."

Did I just hear him right? Kouga is going to take me home? Was that even possible? "I thought we had to use the mirror."

Inuyasha interrupts with another string of cursing, and yanks me from Kouga. Inuyasha holds on to my middle and puts a foot in the middle of Kouga's stomach and tries to push him away. Too bad the wolf demon didn't let go of my hands.

"You're going to rip my arms off!" I scream. I'm not kidding either. Both are extremely strong and I could feel the bones beginning to separate from the sockets.

Thank the stars above that Inuyasha immediately drops me. Unfortunately Kouga takes this as a win and decides I'm the prize. He throws me over his shoulder and takes off like a tornado! Inuyasha's cursing and Shippo's cries quickly fade. The whole world is a blur of colors… and I begin to feel a little sick… like I had ridden a loopy roller coaster too many times in a row.

"Stop!" I cry once I get my voice back.

He doesn't comment, only tightens his grip on me.

"Please! I'm going to be sick!" That got him to stop in a hurry.

Once my feet were on the ground I raced to the bushes and begin to hurl. Seeing all the blood and gore in the battle was hard enough on my poor stomach, but the pain in my arms, getting tossed around like a rag doll, and the speedy getaway was more than I could handle. Of course the smell of me being sick just continued to make me feel even more sick. So the cycle continued until I had absolutely nothing left in my stomach. There is the possibility my stomach might be somewhere in that mess too… you never know.

I'm not sure what Kouga was doing while I was being sick, but I know it wasn't helping me out by holding my hair back (we'll not go into details there) or patting my back or doing anything else to console me. Likely he was looking disgusted. Like I said, I don't know, I was kinda busy at the time. After I was finished I leaned against a tree and closed my eyes.

As it turned out, me being so sick was for the best. It gave Inuyasha time to catch up with us. He was one unhappy half dog demon when he saw the state I was in. I could almost swear that his eyes turned red. He used every swear word I knew, plus a whole bunch of other words I'll just have to assume were swear words, since that's all he seemed to be using at the time.

After bringing into question Kouga's heritage, parentage, and sexual preference, the wolf demon finally gathered his wits and began to fight back.

Usually I would have tried to stop an unnecessary fight. But the wolf was responsible for my stomach and the horrible mess I was in, so to heck with him. Just so long as Inuyasha doesn't actually KILL the guy I'll stay out of it…maybe he'll just hurt the wolf a bit.

"If you touch Kagome again I will rip your throat out!" Inuyasha threatens, well, there were some added swear words in that sentence too. 'Promise' is probably a more accurate word than 'threaten' actually. He looked perfectly willing to do some throat ripping out right then and there.

"She's my woman, I claimed her! It is my right to touch her!"

Whoa whoa whoa. What?

Before I can ask what in the world he was talking about, I feel something soft against the back of my hand. I look down. It's Shippo. He's patting my hand, trying to comfort me. I smile at him, trying to ease his worry.

Suddenly I realize that Inuyasha has practically lost his mind and is actually going to kill Kouga. I looked down at Shippo. Oh no! Not in front of Shippo!

"Stop this fighting now!" I scream. Naturally no one listened to me. So I did something that would get me scoldings for weeks to come. I jumped up and stepped in between the battling demons.

Well, it stopped the fight. Inuyasha somehow managed to change the direction of his leap at the last moment. It was the first time I recall him ever actually looking scared. Unfortunately because I was so caught up in this new emotion in those golden eyes that I wasn't paying attention to the wolf demon who had been barreling down on Inuyasha.

Ooof!

I can't breathe… and I hurt. There are angry voices all around me. I can't make anything out though. Ouch. I think I'm laying on a rock. Oh please let that be a rock and not a broken rib.

The pain is incredible. I feel like my body is on fire. Even if I wanted to be tough and bite back the groans, I don't think I could have. Besides, I hurt way too bad to even pretend to be tough. I moved my fingers. Good, not broken. Toes seem to be okay too. I hear people talking and someone takes my hand. If it wasn't held so gently I could have sworn it was Inuyasha's hand holding mine.

I open my eyes to find myself staring once again into gold. I smiled. At least I think I did. I frowned and closed my lips, then ran my tongue along my teeth. With a sigh of relief I smiled again. Whew, all my teeth were there. I hadn't exactly noticed a bunch of dentist signs around here. I made a mental note to start paying more attention to my dental hygiene.

Blood stained Inuyasha's face and his clothes that weren't there when he first came to my rescue. I hope he didn't kill Kouga in front of Shippo.

"Is he dead?" I ask with a voice like sandpaper.

First Inuyasha looked hurt, then sad, then mad, then downright furious! It was more emotion that I had ever seen from him, I think. And all in a blink of an eye.

"That's the first thing you say when that THING nearly killed you? You almost DIE because of HIM and HIS health is the first thing you ask about?" He dropped my hand and turned around in a huff.

"I didn't want you to kill him in front of Shippo," I whisper. I'm not sure if he heard me, but his hearing is really good, so he probably did.

I try to sit up, but Inuyasha pushes me back down. He doesn't look mad anymore.

"Rest."

I grunt in a totally unladylike fasion. "I think I'm laying on a rock."

Inuyasha gives me a sort of smile, rolls me to the side, and throws the rock. I'm sure it was completely accidental that it bounced off of Kouga's head.

"He can't do that, can he?" It occurred to me that this world has many strange customs that I'm not aware of. And being a demon, he might have even more.

"Do what?"

I peer over at Kouga. Shippo is poking him with a stick to see if he is alive. Miroku is trying to keep Sango from beating what was left of the wolf into a more mushy pulp. I look back at Inuyasha.

"Claim me… he can't do that can he?"

He snorted. "He can't have you."

"But CAN he?" Feeling a big panicked here.

Inuyasha sighs angrily, glaring at the wolf demon. "Demons claim their mates, their lifelong companions. Like your parents. If you are unclaimed… then he can try to claim you. But you would have to accept him before you became mates."

Whew! "So as long as I don't accept him he can't claim me."

Hard golden eyes looked at me, trying to tell me something without having to actually TELL me. "I said that you won't be MATES."

"But I could still be claimed?" There is a slightly hysterical pitch to my voice that I couldn't stop.

Being "claimed" didn't sound good at all. In fact, that sounded really REALLY bad. Suddenly the unconscious wolf demon being repeatedly poked by a sharp stick looked a whole lot more dangerous.

"Don't be stupid," Inuyasha scolded as he thumped me lightly on the head. "I already said he can't have you. So quit looking so scared."

Air whooshes out of my lungs in relief. I felt safe again, so I closed my eyes. First thing when I wake up I'm going to take a nice long bath. But for right now, all I want to do is get a little rest. We can keep searching for the mirror when I wake up.


	26. Kanna, Naraku, and Valentines Candy

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twenty-Six: Kanna, Naraku, and Valentines Candy

February 14th

Kikyo smiled as she put the flowers into the vase on the table beside her bed. Hojo had brought her flowers again. The first day of the month he brought her a single daisy. The next day he brought her a tulip. The third day he brought an iris. Each day he brought her a different flower. Tonight he brought her a red rose.

She closed her eyes and smelled the flower. The feeling inside of her was growing. She couldn't keep it in, so she let out a laugh and twirled. In the mirror she could barely recognize the girl she knew was herself. Her smile was real, her eyes sparkled, and she was relaxed. The girl in the mirror was happy. And tonight she was dressed in a pretty red dress, waiting for Hojo to come and take her to dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Just as she was about to grab her purse and head downstairs, Kikyo saw the mirror shimmer. She turned her head and closed her eyes. Every time she saw that shimmer she felt her heart clench in fear. Fear that her happy new life was going to be snatched away from her.

_Why now?_ She tried to push her frustration away and turned to face the mirror.

Kagome seemed startled to see her. Evidently she had been washing her face in the water, not looking to find Kikyo.

For a few moments they simply stared at each other. Then Kagome smiled.

"Going someplace special?"

Kikyo felt uncomfortable. How would Kagome react to her dating the guy who had been courting her for years?

"It's Valentine's Day," Kikyo said, neither confirming nor denying.

Kagome looked surprised. "I had forgotten…"

"What's Valentine's Day?" Kikyo saw the little fox demon ask Inuyasha in the background. Inuyasha shrugged.

"It's a day that celebrates love," Kagome turned and explained quickly. "You give gifts to the one you love, like a card or candy or flowers… sometimes jewelry."

"Like a necklace?" Shippo asks, snickering while pulling on Inuyasha's rosary.

Kikyo watched as Kagome rolled her eyes at them and scolded the dog demon for bopping the kit on the head. It still astounded Kikyo how Inuyasha let the girl scold him while trying to look innocent. He had been so serious and fierce when she knew him.

Finally Kagome turned back to Kikyo with a smile. "Are you going someplace special? You look beautiful."

"Thank you. Have you found Kanna and the mirror yet?"

Kagome blinked at the lightening quick change in conversation and the lack of an answer. It wasn't her imagination… Kikyo was definitely avoiding the topic. She sat back and shook her head. "Not yet, but we're close. We also believe that she is in the same place as Naraku. I think we're heading in the right direction… but I'm not sure exactly where to go next. Have you and Hojo found any clues yet?"

Kikyo's cheeks lightly turned pink and she turned from the mirror to pull out her notes that she and Hojo had compiled.

"We have traced it to a mountain region. There should be a river at the base, and a waterfall. There is an entrance behind the falling water. You go through the cavern and eventually you will find where Naraku is living."

"Which mountain? Which waterfall? Does she think we can check them all?" An exasperated Inuyasha was asking rather impatiently.

Kikyo glared at him and snapped her notebook closed. Just as she was about to throw it at the mirror and tell the hanyou just what he could do with it, Hojo walked into the room. They looked at each other, smiled shyly, then blushed. Hojo had dressed up as well and was holding more roses.

"Oh! Kagome!" Hojo noticed the mirror behind Kikyo and greeted his friend.

"Hi Hojo. You're dressed up. Going someplace special?" As soon as the words were out of Kagome's mouth she realized what was going on, and why Kikyo was determined to not let her know where she was going. She got quiet, which prompted the dog demon to get curious and take a closer look. Shippo's curiosity was piqued too.

Kikyo had been staring at the floor like it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen, then she took a breath for courage and slowly lifted her eyes to meet Kagome's. She had expected hurt, confusion, anger, or betrayal. She hadn't expected to see a soft smile of understanding. But it was a sad smile, the same smile she had seen on her own face when she it occurred to her that as wonderful as life was here, it was only temporary. The time she spent with Hojo was time spent trying to help her, and Kagome, to get back to their own homes.

Kagome smiled sadly at Kikyo. The girl was head over heels in love with Hojo. It was easy to tell by the eyes. And he was just as fond of her. He had never looked at Kagome quite that way. She wasn't sad at the loss of her once suitor. No, she was truly happy that he found someone that he really did love. It was just sad that once the mirror that they were seeking was found, that they would lose each other. She looked back at Inuyasha and Shippo. _Just like I will lose them._

"The west," Hojo said.

"Huh?" _Reeeeal eloquent, Kagome_, She scoffed at herself.

"The mountains are in the west. You should cross a wasteland before you get to them though. It will be dangerous. Be careful of dehydration, there are no sources of water at all in the wasteland."

"Thank you," Kagome said, "You both have been very helpful. Those were great clues. We'll find the mountains in no time at all now." Kagome tried to sound bright and cheerful. But she wasn't fooling Kikyo, or a certain concerned looking dog demon. "You guys go have a nice dinner! Happy Valentine's Day!"

Kagome and Kikyo exchanged sad smiles. Then Hojo extended his arm to Kikyo and they left the room without a backwards glance.


	27. Kanna's Mirror

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Kanna's Mirror

March 2nd

Crossing the wasteland had been tough. Kagome knew that there would have been no way that they would have made it had they been a group of normal travelers. Luckily she and Shippo had ridden on Inuyasha's back as he raced through the land, and Sango and Miroku flew with Kirara.

Four times during the journey they had to stop and rest. Inuyasha would complain about the delay and insist that he could go on, but Kagome didn't want to risk her friend's health, or life, so they would walk for a time after resting. Sango and Miroku would take turns holding Kirara so she could rest up, and Shippo would cuddle up with Kagome or sit on Inuyasha's shoulder. Since her illness, the young kit did not like to be out of arms reach of his surrogate mother.

Kagome looked over at the sleeping hanyou. Regardless of what he said, the trip had taken a lot out of him. He had been sleeping for hours. He would need to wake up soon if they were to continue on before nightfall. Kagome smiled an evil smile as she waded in the cool water of the river they had found at the base of the mountain.

Sango and Miroku, who were sitting on the edge of the bank with their feet cooling off in the water, wondered at that smile. Their eyes opened wide when they realized who she was smiling at. They watched in silence as she left the river, walked silently to their camping supplies, scooped up water with their cooking pot and quietly tiptoed over to the snoozing demon.

Moments later the shouting and snarling could be heard throughout the mountain, followed by the shrieks of a giggling girl. A thoroughly drenched Inuyasha growled and chased Kagome.

"I'm gonna get you, wench!"

Kagome would have responded with something witty if she wasn't so breathless from running and laughing. Her sides began to ache from the laughter. She squealed when she was caught and screamed as she felt herself dropping. She barely had time to catch and hold a breath before she plunged feet first into the river.

The water was icy cold, a much needed relief from the sweltering heat they had just endured. Kagome felt her feet touch the sandy bottom and pushed herself back upwards towards the surface, opening up her arms and turning slowly in a circle on the way back up. She felt like a weightless ballet dancer. It felt very nice.

When she broke the surface she saw that Sango and Miroku were also soaked to the bone, with their feet still in the water, and Shippo was racing from shoulder to shoulder to escape Inuyasha's grasp. But what made Kagome smile was the laughter.

_This is what we needed_ she sighed, _We needed a break. We needed a little laughter._

While Shippo was tossed into the water Kagome floated on her back and watched the sunlight twinkle between the leaves of the trees. The feeling of cool water against her skin was heavenly. Of course, she would have preferred a swimsuit to swimming in her clothes, but one wasn't available and skinny dipping was out of the question with the guys around. She was glad that she had an extra set of dry clothes in her bag. The ones she had on were in desperate need of washing anyhow.

Something made Kagome stop swimming. She felt a pull coming from up the river. It wasn't anything she could put her finger on, it was just an odd feeling. Looking at her friends, who were now all in the water splashing each other and having fun, she grinned. _No sense bugging them when it's probably nothing._

Slowly she paddled against the slight current into the shallower waters of the river. The pull was getting stronger. She wouldn't be able to explain the feeling if anyone had asked her. It was as if something was waiting for her. Calling to her. Kagome's body began moving on its own, she kicked her feet and swam.

She swam for over fifty yards when something surrounded her ankle and pulled her backwards. Kagome gasped and turned with frightened eyes.

"It's no use trying to escape," he chuckled sinisterly. "I will have my revenge."

Kagome was so surprised that she quit swimming and quickly began to sink. The water had just closed over her head when she was roughly yanked back up to the surface.

"Are you stupid, girl? What are you trying to do, drown?" The amused golden eyes followed her movements as she shakily stood in the waist deep water.

_It's just Inuyasha. It's just Inuyasha._ Kagome chanted to herself as she tried to slow her heartbeat back down to normal. Relief made her knees weak and she sank back into the water again. No demons were attacking her. She blew out a breath, blowing bubbles.

"You don't look ok." Suddenly the golden eyes were concerned… then worried. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

Kagome shook her head.

"SAY SOMETHING Kagome!" He shook her gently.

"I was following something…"

Now that got his attention. He plucked her out of the water and sat her on the grassy bank. They could see their friends playing in the water in the distance. Shippo waved to them and they waved back. Then Inuyasha faced Kagome with a determined look, one she didn't see too often.

"Following what? Who?"

"I don't know," Kagome answered with a shrug. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. Kagome used her foot to push against his knee to unbalance him and make him fall on his rear. She knew that he let her push him over and was thankful again for his friendship. His snarling was all show. "It was just a feeling," she explained. "It was like it was pulling me towards it."

The new snarling wasn't for show, it was for real. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he scanned the area, looking for potential threats. He turned his eyes back to Kagome. He looked dangerous.

"Never," he growled angrily, "NEVER go off on you own." He wasn't yelling, and that was the scary part.

When she didn't respond with anything other than an open mouthed stare, he grabbed her shoulders and shook gently.

"Promise me, Kagome. Now!"

"Uh… okay."

He glared at her. "Okay what?"

"I won't go off on my own anymore." _I have never seen him so serious before._

"Not good enough, Kagome. I want your solemn oath." He picked up her right hand and held it in the air with one hand, and he brought her other hand and put it over her heart. He had seen her make promises this way many times. Slowly he let go of her hands, knowing he couldn't force her to make the solemn oath, no matter how much he may want to.

Kagome kept one hand over her heart and her other hand raised. She looked into Inuyasha's eyes and made her oath. "I, Kagome Higurashi, swear to never go off on my own again during the quest for Kanna's mirror."

The little part she added on the end did not go unnoticed by the dog-demon. For a moment, Kagome thought he might demand she make a new oath. She sighed in relief when he finally nodded.

The two endured some good natured teasing from Sango and Miroku about going off on their own. Then they picked up their camp and started following the river in the direction that Kagome had been going. The closer they got to the mountain, the quieter the group got. The laughter had died down and the mood became more solemn.

Miroku was the next to feel the strange pull that Kagome had told them about. But Inuyasha was the first to hear the waterfall.

Silently the group went about stashing their camping supplies and getting their weapons ready. Even Shippo was uncharacteristically quiet. Occasionally one or the other of the group would pause what they were doing to stare at Kagome.

Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes, and fought off the urge to go running off into the woods like a child. She wasn't afraid of the upcoming fight. She knew that they would win. Her friends were the best. They were strong, fierce, and skilled warriors. It was her heart. It felt tight. It hurt. She wanted to call the quest off, even though the end was just in sight. The thought of leaving her friends was almost unbearable.

She picked up her quiver of arrows and secured them in place across her back. Then she picked up her bag of medical supplies and her bow. She moved slowly, giving her time to compose herself and face them with a smile.

Together the six companions walked to the waterfall.

"I'll go first," Miroku said.

They watched in silence as Miroku climbed the rocks and flattened himself up against the wall of the cliff to scoot along the edge to the waterfall. They watched as he disappeared behind the water. Then they waited. It didn't take long for him to reappear. He nodded. That simple movement told them all they needed to know. This was the cave.

Sango and Kirara went next. Shippo glanced backwards, then followed.

Kagome's grip on her bow was so tight that her knuckles were beginning to turn white. She almost jumped when Inuyasha's hand covered hers. She held her breath and watched as he slowly pried her fingers off of the bow.

"You'll break it, stupid."

Together they stared at his hands holding hers. Kagome opened her mouth to say something. She wasn't sure what it was she was going to say, but it felt important. But before she could get the words out, her friends called out to them.

"Keh!" Inuyasha dropped her hands. Just as Kagome had plucked up enough courage to try to talk again, he picked her up and jumped to the opening of the waterfall.

"It would have been faster had you carried us all that way. Then my dear Sango would not have scraped her arm on the rocks."

Miroku's admonishing had several effects. The first one was it got the sad look off of Inuyasha's face and had him cursing at the monk, proclaiming that he's no beast of burden. The second was it got Sango angry, after all, demon slayers are a tough lot and do not need coddling. Little scrapes are nothing! Kagome held Shippo, who was laughing loudly and making comments to fire up tempers.

Inuyasha and Sango stomped up ahead, with Shippo trailing after, still trying to get a rise out of them.

"Thank you," Kagome whispered.

Miroku gave her a smile and a wink. "I do not know what you are talking about, lady Kagome."

"I didn't think monks were supposed to lie."

Miroku had broken the tension. Getting the others to focus on something else, even if it was on his destruction, got their minds off the upcoming battle. He was brilliant, and much more caring than people gave him credit for.

Kagome gasped. And he had his hand on her backside!

"You PERVERT!" She screamed. She scooped up some rocks and chased him down the corridor, chucking them at him.

The monk ran past Inuyasha, who began chasing him with a new purpose. After all, his keen hearing had picked up on Kagome's comment. Kagome stopped to catch her breath and laughed as he took up her chase. She hoped Inuyasha didn't hurt him… too bad… After all, Miroku had managed to take her mind off her serious thoughts too.

Once Miroku gained consciousness again, the group continued down the corridor. This time Kagome lead the way. It was a maze of tunnels, but Kagome instinctively chose which direction from the pull she felt. No one questioned her judgment.

The air had grown colder. Kagome stopped before the next corner and turned to look at her friends. _This is it._

Beyond the corner they found a girl. She was pale and fragile looking with empty eyes. And she held a mirror. She stood still. Very still. And she did not move as the group approached her.

"We have guests, Kanna."

The group turned to face the voice. Out of the shadows stepped a tall man with long black hair and red eyes. Kagome shivered. No doubt about it, this man was evil.

"Naraku." Miroku hissed.

The main raised his hand.

Demons began to pour forth from his hand. Kagome couldn't even begin to count. She scurried off to the side and pulled out an arrow. Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku were already slicing up the demons. But they came in waves, almost like water. There were too many to make a dent in them. They could not move any closer to the evil man.

Shippo stood at her side and cast foxfire illusions to distract and confuse the enemies. Kagome gave him a smile. He was the smallest of the group, but no one could doubt his heart. And right now he was proving that he was just as brave.

Kagome's first arrow took down two demons, the shot managed to pierce the skull of one demon and the heart of the other. Her second arrow missed. The demon she had been aiming for laughed, but only for a moment. Inuyasha's claws made short work of him. The dog demon spared Kagome a glance, and she lowered her eyes in shame.

With renewed determination she grabbed the third arrow. She aimed and let the arrow fly. Two more demons down. _Only two. But there are so many of them! What use are a few arrows?_

Another arrow flew through the air, and another demon fell. Kagome continued to draw her bow and shoot her arrows behind Shippo's protection. But soon the number of arrows dwindled until Kagome grasped nothing but air when reaching into her quiver. She ripped it off her back and searched it frantically, hoping another arrow would magically appear.

Kagome fought back her tears and stood up, bow still in hand. She searched the sea of demons for her friends. Inuyasha was slicing through demon after demon. Sango's bone boomerang continued to fell dozens of demons. Miroku cast barriers to protect Sango and spells to destroy the demons that would come too close. Kirara made the cave rain fire. They were strong, but soon they would tire, and a hundred more demons would fall upon them. They were still pouring forth from Naraku's hand.

Kagome's eyes widened in fear as she saw Sango's shoulders droop slightly and Miroku's voice crack as he cast the barrier spell again. They were getting weary, and there were so many more demons to go.

Then she saw it. The second arrow. The one that had missed.

With her jaw clenched in determination she ran from the safety of Shippo's illusions and ran into the middle of battle. She heard her name rise above the battle. It was Inuyasha, and he was not a happy half-demon. Her fingers barely had time to close around the arrow when she felt herself being lifted in the air.

"Are you insane?" Inuyasha screamed at her as he carried her back to Shippo's side. "I can't fight if I have to keep watching out for you!"

Kagome winced. After giving her the command to "stay", Inuyasha leapt back into the midst of battle.

"That WAS pretty stupid, Kagome."

"Yeah, thanks for pointing that out, Shippo." She held up her arrow smugly. "But I got this back, didn't I?"

Shippo looked at her as if she was crazy. "What good can one arrow do?"

Kagome smiled. "You'd be surprised at the difference one can make." She ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome drew the arrow back. This one she aimed at Naraku's chest. _One CAN make a difference. It can._ She closed her eyes and thought about her friends here. She thought about Kirara and how she could change from cute and cuddly kitten to ferocious demon cat. She thought about Miroku and how despite his tendency for inappropriate touching, he was a man who truly cared about his friends. She thought about Sango, and how she managed to remain a good person, a strong person, regardless of all the pain and heartache she had endured. She thought about Shippo, about his loss, and how he was too old for his age and his search for a family. Kagome looked down at him lovingly.

And she thought about Inuyasha. She closed her eyes once more and allowed herself to feel, instead of think.

She wanted to protect her friends.

"Kagome," she heard an awed whisper but didn't look back. "You're glowing pink!"

Her eyes slowly opened. She could feel the power surrounding her. It was warm and a little tingly. Pouring all the feelings and power that she felt building up in her she pulled the bow back, aiming the tip carefully. Then she let it go.

The arrow glowed pink, with sparks shooting out making the path almost too bright to look at. Demons that it touched seemed to just melt away. Naraku's eyes opened wide. Demons quit coming from his hand as most of his body was blown away. All that was left of him was his head, neck, and part of his chest.

Kagome's jaw dropped. He was actually still alive! Kanna took hold of what was left of Naraku and fled the battle. Sango managed to knock the mirror out of the girl's hands before she left.

Many of the demons fled, knowing that their chances of victory had just been cut in half. The defeat of Naraku had the rest of the group fighting even harder. Kagome grew bolder and ran back into the field to retrieve her arrows from the corpses of the demons she slew. Some of the arrows needed new tips, but several could still be used. Shippo got to work on fixing the arrows that needed the tips as Kagome started to shoot. The power she had before wasn't as strong, but it was still there. She grinned as her one arrow could take out dozens now. Anything evil in its path was destroyed.

The battle did not last for more than half an hour after Naraku and Kanna fled. Soon the friends were standing in the battlefield in victory, just before they slumped to the floor.

"I want to sleep," sighed Sango as she fell back, using her boomerang as a pillow.

"Me too," agreed Miroku. He too fell back, lying beside her. For once Sango didn't beat him unconscious for his actions. He was too tired to do anything inappropriate.

"I want a bath!"

"You always want a bath," Inuyasha grouched as he looked across at Kagome. "It borders on being obsessive."

Kagome hit him in the shoulder good-naturedly, almost giddy with the teasing mood her hanyou was in. "I'm not obsessive. I'm sitting in a pile of demon guts, I think a bath is in order." She sniffed twice…dramatically. "For all of us!"

Miroku opened and eye and raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting we bath together, Lady Kagome?"

"AAAaaaa! No! That's not what I meant!" Sango and Inuyasha were chuckling at her new shade of red. Just beyond their shoulders she saw Shippo sitting looking at the ground. Summoning up the last of her strength, Kagome stood up and went to him.

"What is it, Shippo?"

The fox kit looked up at her with unshed tears. "It's the mirror…"

Bending down, Kagome touched the mirror. Gingerly she picked it up. It was beautiful. It was made of gold and had intricate patterns carved in it.

It was also broken.


	28. By My Side

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twenty-Eight: By My Side

March 15th

_She's staying. She's staying. She's staying with me._ Inuyasha repeated the words over and over in his head. She's really and truly staying.

As he did every night since they found the shattered mirror, the dog demon jumped down from his sleeping spot in the tree and landed beside the sleeping miko. Crouching down beside her he was content to just watch her and listen to her breath. He closed his eyes and listened for her heartbeat. _Steady and strong._

Tonight was the first night she hadn't cried when she thought no one was looking as she went to sleep. After a quick glance around to see if anyone was awake, Inuyasha reached down and brushed her hair away from her face.

He liked Miroku, Sango, and Shippo, even thought of them as a sort of a family… but there were days he missed it when it was just Kagome and him. Maybe there was some demon hunt he could send them on so they could have some time alone. Strategy wasn't his strong suit however, and he sure wasn't asking that lecher for advice. Sango and Shippo wouldn't be much help either, they were always demanding Kagome's attention in one way or another.

Inuyasha fought the urge to grab the girl and take off with her.

_Even one day would be enough. Just a little time,_ he begged the gods he knew.

Time. He smiled. Now that she wouldn't be returning, they had lots of time. All the time in the world. No need to rush things.

His hand traced down the side of her face. _But why do I feel so uneasy? Why do I feel like she's going to just disappear?_

"Why the sad face?"

Inuyasha's heart stopped. His eyes flew to her face. _SHE'S AWAKE!_

Quickly he jumped back as if she had burned him.

"I wasn't DOING anything!" He jumped into his tree and looked away from her.

She sat up and smiled. "I didn't say you did." She got up and stretched. Stifling a yawn she walked over to the tree. "Gonna help me up?"

"Keh."

He jumped down, snatched the girl like he had been contemplating earlier, and jumped back up to his branch. His ears pinned to the sides of his head. _Is she going to call me a pervert? An animal?_ He braced himself for the well deserved scolding he was certain was coming.

"Well?" she asked as she got comfortable, kicking her legs gently back and forth as they dangled in the air.

"I said I wasn't doing anything!" He crossed his arms defensively and glared over her shoulder, not quite daring to look her in the eye. Sure, he could face down a dozen or so huge blood thirsty demons without batting an eye… but he wasn't sure he was brave enough to face an angry Kagome.

"Not that, idiot. Why the sad face?"

Inuyasha relaxed his arms and leaned back against the tree. _Whew. Wait… she's not mad? Not even a little upset? She smiled?_ He thought for a moment. _Does she know how often I've…_ The dangerous thought sent his head spinning. He looked down to see Kagome giving him a curious look.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Do you regret it?" He blurted it out. He meant to be more subtle, to gently ease into the discussion. But subtlety wasn't his strong suit either.

Kagome sighed. "It's not like anyone broke the mirror on purpose, Inuyasha."

His eyes were serious as he studied her face. It wasn't exactly an answer to his question. He decided to try again, choosing his words carefully.

"Are you sad that you have to stay here… with… us?"

His heart sped up as she rested her head on his shoulder. He tried to pay attention to what she was saying instead of the havoc she was wreaking on his insides. But it wasn't easy.

"There are things I will miss about my world. I'll miss my family. I'm sorry I didn't give my mother enough hugs. I'm sorry I won't get to graduate high school. I'm sorry I won't get to see my brother graduate either, or be there as he grows up. I'm sorry I didn't spend more time listening to my grandpa's stories."

Inuyasha felt like he was dying on the inside. He felt responsible for doing this to her. If only he had gone after the mirror first, then she would get back to that life she loved so much. To her family. He wondered if she hated him for his failure.

He couldn't even bring himself to wish that things had turned out different. He was glad the mirror was broken. He was glad her chance at going home was gone. He was glad that Kagome was staying. He knew he was being selfish, but he didn't care.

_I swear I'll keep you safe, Kagome. I'll protect you and provide for you. One day I'll make you happy. I promise._

"But… but I'm not sorry that I'm staying. I love being here with you, with all of you. It always felt like there was something missing in my life. Something important. And I think that 'something' was you."

_Did she just say what I think she said? Did she mean me? Or did she mean all of us? She said 'love'. She said 'important'._ His fears were quickly replaced by nerves. Zillions of them all on alert. He was scared of reading too much into what she said… that she would laugh, that they would all laugh, if they thought that she could have meant that about HIM. What if he was wrong?

He looked down at her face. Her eyes were closed and there was a smile. She was still resting against his shoulder.

_For right now,_ he thought to himself, _for right now she is here. And she's by my side._ And for the hanyou, that was enough.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Notes: Originally I had a different chapter written for this one. But a review wanted to see another chapter with Inuyasha's point of view. I thought about it, and decided to do a major re-write. I think it worked out better this way.

See, the reviews do help! 


	29. Dreams and Wishes

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Dreams and Wishes

March 24th

Images of Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Inuyasha floated in her head. The were calling to her to join them, hands outstretched. They were smiling and laughing. One by one they disappeared into the fog.

"Hello?" she called. "Inuyasha? Sango? Hello?"

No answer.

"Miroku? Shippo? Is anyone there? INUYASHA!"

"Kagome?" A soft voice broke the deafening silence.

Quickly Kagome turned to see who had called her name. She could just barely make out a silhouette in the distance.

"Kikyo?"

"Yes. We must be dreaming again. Strange… after all this time."

Kagome smiled at the girl walking towards her and ran to meet her. It was such a relief to find someone in the fog. Someone who wasn't a demon or a murderer or an evil possessed doll like she would sometimes see in some of her stranger nightmares.

"Yeah, been awhile since we met in dreams."

Kikyo smiled warmly.

"We found the mirror," Kagome told her.

Kikyo's smile disappeared.

"Oh? You did?"

"But it's kinda… broken…."

"Broken…."

The girls stared at each other silently. The fog swirled around them as they stood. Slowly the fog cleared. They stood in a wooded area, much like the places where Kagome and her friends camped out. But her pink covered bed and her big daisy carpet were in the middle of the clearing. It was a mixture of the worlds.

Kikyo carefully sat on the foot of the bed, preparing herself for a fall, just in case it was an illusion. When Kikyo didn't fall through, Kagome took a chance and sat down at the head of the bed, tucking her feet under and facing the girl who could be her twin.

"Now what do we do?" She didn't necessarily ask Kikyo the question, and she didn't really expect an answer.

"I think…. I think that even if it wasn't broken… we still wouldn't be able to use it…"

Kagome looked at Kikyo in shock. The girl wasn't looking at her, she was staring very hard at the carpet in front of her.

"What makes you say that?" Kagome asked.

Kikyo raised her eyes to meet Kagome's. "I think that the Shikon jewel was granting my wish. I had wished so hard to have another life. A life where I was not the guardian of the jewel. A life where I could be a normal girl. I am so sorry Kagome." She sniffled and laid her head on her up-drawn knees. "It's all my fault. I think I wished for your life, and that wish was granted."

Kagome scooted closer to Kikyo and put an arm around her shoulder. She sighed. "It's my fault too, then." She rested her head on Kikyo's. "I was wishing for a different life too. I think I might have been wishing for yours, as well."

Together they sat there. Not crying. Not moving. Just sitting there, thinking about their friends, their lives, and their futures. Finding comfort in each other.

"So… now what do we do?" Kagome asked quietly.

Kikyo opened her mouth to voice her confusion, but it wasn't her voice that echoed through the woods.

"I have the answers you seek."

Kagome and Kikyo jump up from the pink bed to face the stranger in their dream. They were a little nervous (ok… scared) of the intruder.

"Who are you?" Kikyo asked, stepping forward.

A figure appeared from behind the shadows of the trees. She was a woman with long dark hair and dark grey eyes.

Kagome was shocked. The woman looked like an older version of her… and Kikyo. She wondered briefly if cloning was involved, then shook that thought off. Kikyo's world was entirely different from her own, so cloning was impossible. She began wondering if they were simply the same person, but in different dimensions, or maybe in different time periods and they were reincarnations. Her head began to hurt. There were too many possibilities, and none of them made any logical sense.

Maybe it was simply just magic.

"I am Midoriko," The woman introduced herself. "I am the priestess who created the Shikon jewel."

The two young women looked at the priestess. "You created it?" they asked in unison.

"Yes. Only one with a pure heart may use and protect the jewel. It will grant the protector a wish. The jewel was meant to be protected by the priestess Kikyo. I do not know how it found you, miko Kagome. But it did. And it chose you."

"It granted the wishes hidden in both of your hearts. The wish can not be undone, unless both hearts truly desire it."

Kagome and Kikyo looked at each other.

Kikyo realized it would be unfair for her to continue to live the life Kagome was meant for. She closed her eyes and thought of her new family and friends. And Hojo. She thought about the joy of freedom. No demons to fight, no spells to learn, no lives that depended on her actions. Although she dreaded going back to being the protector of the jewel, she knew that she had no right to make Kagome suffer. With a heavy heart she decided that she would go back.

Kagome thought about her family. She missed her mother and her grandfather, and yes, even her little brother. She missed her friends from school. She missed movies and bubblebaths. She missed chocolate bars and ice cream. She missed videogames and her computer. She even missed school. But could she really say good-bye to her new friends? Good-bye to Inuyasha? They have been through so much together!

"Are you ready?" asked Midoriko.

"What?" Both girls screamed.

"You mean now?" Kikyo cried out.

"Can't we say good-bye first?" Kagome asked sadly.

Midoriko shook her head sadly. "We must do this now, while the two of you are together and I am able to find the strength. You must wish on the jewel. You must wish for your lives back. Face each other and hold hands."

Cautiously they did as they were told. Both eyes reflected sorrow and fear.

"Now, make the wish."

Kagome and Kikyo closed their eyes, and made their wish.

Pink light swirled around their feet, winding it's way up their bodies, until they were completely engulfed.


	30. The Journey Begins

Chapter Thirty: The Journey Begins

March 25th

"Awww Mama! You can't leave the story off there!"

"Now, Kaede, it's time for bed."

"But what happened to Kagome?"

Kikyo smiled and kissed her daughter on the head then sat on the bed beside her and finished the story she has told so many times over the years. Her daughter never let her forget the details or to leave it unfinished.

"_Kagome and Kikyo made their wishes. But the wish could not be granted, the wish failed. Neither girl could honestly wish with all of their hearts that they be returned to where they belonged. _

_In the morning Kikyo went and found her mother and confessed that she had been unable to fulfill the wish. She felt guilty and ashamed. But her mother understood. She knew how much Kikyo loved her new life, and how much she hated her old one. She also knew how much her daughter, Kagome, loved her new life and her new friends. So she let Kikyo cry, then told her that everything would be ok._

_Kagome told her friends about the failed wish. They tried to pretend to be sad, but they couldn't help but celebrate. Shippo was beside himself with joy. Sango cried, for the first time since her family died, but this time for joy. Miroku hugged her and tried to find comforting words to help her through the loss, but could not do so without a grin. And Inuyasha… he stood apart from the group. Watching. And smiling._

_Kagome held her arms open for Shippo to jump into, then shyly took Inuyasha's hand. They looked out at the morning sun._

"_I guess it's time for us to start hunting for Naraku," she said._

_And the journey began"._

"Did they ever get married?" Kaede asked.

Kikyo laughed. "That is another story, for another night."

"Did they ever defeat Naraku?"

"Go to sleep, my angel."

"Did she ever see Kikyo or her mother again?"

"Yes," Kikyo smiled. "Sometimes in dreams, and sometimes in the mirror. Now go to sleep, little one. Sweet dreams." She kissed her daughter one more time, then looked over at her husband and smiled.

"You left out the best part, Mama."

"Oh? What part is that?"

"The ever after part."

Kikyo smiled warmly, and finished the story. "And they all lived happily ever after."

Hojo stood up and held out his hand to her. He kissed it before wrapping his hand around hers. Together they left the room, leaving their daughter to dream of her own adventures.

"It was a nice ending," Hojo whispered as he led her down the hall to their own room.

Kikyo smiled up at her husband. "No, really it is just a beginning."

The End?

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note: To everyone who reviewed – Thank you very much. Your reviews made writing so much more enjoyable. The comments and suggestions spurred me on to make changes I might not have otherwise. Thanks.

I'm considering a sequel if anyone is interested.


End file.
